Photo courtesy of the Port of Long Beach
As community and statewide leaders gathered with businesses from around the world to hear the State of the Port address yesterday, there was an undeniable sense of optimism as to where the Port of Long Beach was in 2012 and where it is heading.
The Port’s Executive Director J. Christopher Lytle delivered a succinct and promising address that mainly showed off the Port’s increasing ability to flex two muscles: bring in bigger ships and create more jobs.
On the former point, Lytle was happy to reference the oil tanker British Pride, whose draft—the point of the waterline down to the vessel’s lowest point—of 65 feet made it the deepest draft to harbor in the United States.
“One of the toughest jobs in our industry is piloting these ships safely inside a port complex,” Lytle said. “Can you imagine trying to maneuver something the size of the Empire State Building?… We are big ship ready today and preparing for the biggest ships of tomorrow.”
This point about big ships is essential as the larger vessels not only bring in more containers—within a still stagnant economy, the Port’s terminals moved 13 percent more last year, with December being their best ever for import containers—and that mainly involves around some of the world’s largest shipping lines holding express interest in creating a home here in Long Beach because the Port can handle those ships.
In December, CMA CGM—the world’s third largest container shipping line—purchased part of the Pier J terminal space, marking the shipping giant’s first investment in a west coast U.S. port.
Even more, it was announced at the address that the world’s second largest shipping line, Mediterranean Shipping Company, will increase its investment when it partners with Total Terminal International in Pier T.
The projects which the Port has enacted—Middle Harbor, the Gerald Desmond Bridge, Pier G, the new terminal at Pier S, and some $1 billion in planned rail projects—all of which evolve around making the Port more accommodating for big ships are precisely what creates jobs. Lytle estimated that these projects will generate 50,000 more permanent jobs.
“We are committed to ensuring that the hundreds of thousands of trade-related jobs that depend on our success stay right here in Southern California and grow for future generations,” Lytle stated.