New Shipping Route Could Mean More Port Jobs In East Bay

EAST BAY, CA – A shipping route linking China, Vietnam and the U.S. will begin making weekly stops at the Port of Oakland in November, adding an additional 50 annual vessel arrivals to the port, port officials announced today.

The service, known as Calco-C, is operated by three Asian shipping lines and includes ports in Cai Mep, Vietnam; Xiamen, Yantian and Nansha in China, and the Port of Long Beach. Oakland will be the sixth stop in the service, port officials said.

The move could increase cargo volume at the port by as much as 30,000 20-foot containers per year. Last year, the port handled the equivalent of 2.28 million 20-foot containers. The significant volume growth
expected could lead to more cargo handling jobs, port officials said.

"For the benefit of our customers and our community we're pleased to be joining this service," Port of Oakland maritime director John Driscoll said in a statement. "It's a testament to the vibrant market we serve and strengthens our role as a key gateway in the Transpacific container trade."

The service will provide shippers with the chance to import Asian merchandise such as apparel and electronic equipment. The service will allow exporters to gain new routes for commodities such as California produce, according to port officials.

The service is operated by Tokyo-based K Line, Taiwan-based Wan Hai Lines and Pacific International Lines from Singapore. The three ocean carriers deploy seven ships for the service. Each ship is capable of carrying
between 8,000 and 9,000 20-foot containers, according to port officials.

The weekly arrivals at the port's Oakland International Container Terminal are scheduled to begin on Nov. 6.

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--Bay City News/ Image via Wikimedia Commons, By Ingrid Taylar, Flickr: Port of Oakland, CC BY 2.0, http://creativecommons.org/lic...