Port Of Oakland generates jobs and trade
There’s a huge economic gateway in the East Bay that is out of sight or out of mind for many people in the Bay Area. Products that you buy from local stores or manufactured by local companies for export around the world flow through the Port of Oakland, which is also one of the largest employers in
the Bay Area. More than 28,000 people are employed by the port -- people like Mauro Bucio, an equipment systems engineer for the port’s aviation division.By ship and by plane, a huge variety of goods travel through the port, which is the fourth largest in the United States behind Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Newark, New Jersey. The goods are unloaded and loaded, and then shipped to manufacturers and retailers – triggering a large ripple effect in the Bay Area economy. For every container that passes through the port, a thousand dollars goes into the local economy. Two million containers a year equals $2 billion, which is expected to double by 2020. Nearly 200,000 jobs are related to the movement of cargo through Oakland marine terminals.
The Port of Oakland has traditionally relied on moving exports, mainly electronics from Silicon Valley and farm produce from the Central Valley. Exports at the port include fruits and vegetables, waste paper, red meat and poultry, resins, chemicals, animal feed, raw cotton, wood and lumber, crude fertilizers/minerals, industrial machinery, and cereal.
The wave of goods from China has made imports more important to Oakland, where incoming ships usually stop last after unloading their cargo at Los Angeles and Long Beach, which have superior rail and road networks and larger populations. Oakland's major imports include auto parts, computer equipment, clothing, toys, games, processed fruits and vegetables, fasteners and household metal products, red meat, pottery, glassware and ceramics, iron and steel, beverages, and lumber products.
Growing global trade and continued upgrades to port facilities are driving an increased amount of goods trafficked through the port. Truck driver Giovanni Hernandez says the port is getting much busier. “It is growing, you can see the difference, there are a lot of trucking companies and a lot of trucks like 10 years ago there wasn’t that many truckers here."
The Port of Oakland is known primarily for its seaport, though the Oakland International Airport is also part of the port’s shipping system. The port owns and operates the airport, as well as Jack London Square, Embarcadero Cove and the Oakland Airport Business Park.
The giant, bird-like cranes of the port are visible from many spots around the bay, including Highway 880 and the Bay Bridge. When you next see the cranes, give some thought to their role in the local economy, and your role as consumer or future port employee, partner or entrepreneur.