U.S. West Coast Ports and Western Railroads Announce First-Ever Collaboration at World Shipping Summit in Qingdao, China
November 16, 2009Six U.S. West Coast ports and two western railroads came together at the World Shipping Summit in Qingdao, China, last week to announce their collaboration. They addressed leaders and customers of the maritime industry including ocean carriers, beneficial cargo owners and marine terminal and intermodal operators during the event, which was held on November 12 and 13.
The U.S. West Coast Collaboration comprises the major container ports on the West Coast — Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Oakland, Long Beach, and Los Angeles — along with BNSF Railway Company and Union Pacific Railroad. The Collaboration showcased the benefits of the West Coast as the premier region for trans-Pacific trade.
According to Omar Benjamin, executive director of the Port of Oakland, who chaired the session that included the Collaboration panel, “Today’s economic conditions have compelled all of us to take a closer look at how we conduct our business to discover new approaches that yield improved results. This is happening throughout the entire supply chain and U.S. West Coast ports and Western railroads are no exception. Our mission is to further strengthen the U.S. West Coast ports’ position as the preferred gateway for Asia cargo to and from the Midwest and cities further east.”
Timothy J. Farrell, executive director of the Port of Tacoma, stressed the advantages that the ports offer in terms of shipping choices and access to growing U.S. and international consumer markets. “We have more than 100 ships sailing to and from the West Coast each week,” Farrell said, “providing access to 80 ports in 36 key consumer markets around the world. Looking to the future, our ports will provide strategic access to America’s consumers whose numbers are expected to grow to 228 million by 2030.”
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Dr. Geraldine Knatz emphasized the extensive U.S. West Coast rail network and infrastructure, “Beyond our local markets, the West Coast ports offer 200–250 weekly trains to all major intermodal hubs in the United States. Our terminals are served by both on-dock and near-dock facilities that guarantee cargo shipments leave our docks within eight hours of arrival by ship. Based on a scenario of 8,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per acre, our total U.S. West Coast capacity today is almost 41 million TEUs and growing.” She added, “Transit times from China to the U.S. West Coast are 10 to 14 days, with rail from four-six days to the Midwest and East Coast.
Members of the Collaboration traveled to Washington, D.C., this past summer, to argue that a national goods movement plan is essential for sustaining America’s role in global trade; and that more federal resources are necessary to maximize the advantages of moving goods from Asia through the U.S. West Coast.
The Collaboration presentation at the Summit in China is part of the effort to communicate globally the strengths of the West Coast ports.
