The latest generation of cargo container ships are monstrously sized and capable of carrying double, triple or even quadruple the number of cargo containers that older ships can accommodate.
And officials at the Port of Oakland — the West Coast’s third largest cargo gateway — say they are ready, willing and able to handle these mega-sized super ships.
Ships Are Getting Bigger
Recently, a mega-sized class of cargo container ships began appearing in ports around the world. Until very recently, the Chinese-owned CSCL Globe was the world’s largest container ship, capable of carrying an astounding 19,100 cargo containers.
The ship surpassed the previous record-holder –the Matz Maersk Triple E, which has a capacity of 18,000 cargo containers — as the world’s biggest ship. But it was beaten out in January by the MSC Oscar, which set sail on its inaugural voyage from the berth in Busan, South Korea, where it was built.
The MSC Oscar has an incredible cargo capacity that is capable of transporting 39,000 cars, 117 million pairs of gym shoes, or more than 900 million cans of dog food on any single trip.
Big Ships Beginning to Appear in Oakland
No ships of this size have made their way to Oakland as of yet. The largest cargo container to dock there was MSC Beatrice, which holds 14,000 cargo containers. Last month, the port received NMSC Regulus and the CMA CGM Margrit, both of which can hold up to 13,000 cargo containers, which arrived.
The port first started allowing mega-ships to dock there in March 2012 when the MSC Fabiola and its 12,500 cargo containers pulled into its berth.
The Future of the Cargo Industry
John Driscol, maritime director for the Port of Oakland, said adapting facilities to accommodate these super-sized ships is critical to the port’s future success — even though they can take up to 1,200 feet of docking space, or the length of more than four football fields.
So far, the port has dredged its approaches and berths to 50 feet so they can handle the deeper displacement of this new class of ships. It also raised the height of its cranes so they can reach over the mountains of containers stacked above deck on the vessels.
‘Bring It On!’
While most of the ships arriving in Oakland hold between 6,500 and 8,500 containers, the port is anxious to receive more of the new ships because they bring in more business and because they produce fewer emissions per container carried. There’s also the concern that if they can’t handle the big ships, their business will simply go to another port that can.
Plus, mega-sized ships take longer to load and unload. The average amount of time spent at Oakland’s port is 40 to 45 hours, compared to smaller ships which usually can get in and out within 35 to 39 hours. But steps are being taken to speed up these loading and unloading times, including weekend gates and after-hour off-dock locations for cargo pick-up and delivery.
But some are concerned that Oakland and other US ports aren’t ready for these mega-monster ships — especially in the wake of recent West Coast labor problems and the rise of anarchy groups like “The Occupy Movement”.