The Port of Oakland’s largest terminal operator, Oakland International Container Terminal (OICT), will begin charging a $30 flat-fee on all loaded import and export containers to support their four night a week night gate program.
The Port had put in place a subsidized night gate program since the Outer Harbor Terminal in Oakland had announced in February that they would be leaving Oakland, since then about 90% of its container volume has moved to OICT.
Now that the subsidies are ending, the terminal is putting the fee in place to finance the costs of the night operations. The terminal said that it will review the night-gate program – including fees – after 90 days.
John Driscoll, the Port of Oakland Maritime Director commented, “It’s imperative that we continue with extended hours to expand the workday and improve cargo flow.” Mr. Driscoll went on to say, “No one likes fees, but we think there’s tremendous value in easing daytime crowding and in offering full service at night when drivers can get in and out of Port quickly.”
This fee is expected to begin by the end of June, and will reportedly be charged directly to the Beneficial Cargo Owners (BCOs).
