Oakland – The Port of Oakland will welcome CMA CGM’s first call Asia service today, Friday, Feb. 12, 2021. This is the first time in more than ten years that the Port of Oakland has a direct vessel service linking China to Oakland, CA.
Today, Friday, at about 11:00- 11:10 a.m. PST, the global shipping and logistics company CMA CGM will mark the beginning of its first direct vessel service linking China and Oakland, CA, with the arrival of a ship sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge. It will berth at Oakland International Container Terminal at approximately 1 p.m.
The Golden Gate Bridge service improves overall transit times for getting products to consumers here in Northern California and for those in the U.S. interior. Most ships stop at a Southern California port before coming to Oakland. This new service provides an alternative.
The shipping route connects the ports of Shanghai, Yantian and Kaohsiung in China to Oakland. Ships in the service will sail weekly from Asia straight to the Port of Oakland and then call Seattle before returning to China. Oakland has significant rail connections to transport goods into the western region states and further into the U.S. interior to cities like Chicago and Memphis. The service is expected to increase containerized cargo volume in Oakland.
The premium service runs from Yantian to Oakland and Seattle, giving US importers a Northern California option for avoiding congestion at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Equally important, the Port of Oakland gets a very-long-sought-after first US inbound port of call, propelling our city’s ability to tap growing e-commerce imports.
CMA CGM, in a customer advisory, wrote that Seapriority Express (SEA-X) will provide priority vessel space and equipment release in Yantian, with the fastest transit time available of 12 days to Oakland. Existing Pacific Southwest services call Los Angeles and/or Long Beach inbound and Oakland outbound.
The new CMA CGM service will feature vessels of 3,500 to 6,500 TEU capacity, and will offer importers a “reliable alternative to Los Angeles-Long Beach” for imports destined within California and to inland hubs such as Chicago, Memphis, Dallas, and Kansas City via intermodal rail.
Additional details of the first-call Golden Gate Bridge service below:
Operator – CMA CGM
Service schedule – weekly
Port rotation — Shanghai, Yantian, Oakland, Seattle, Kaohsiung;
Size of ships in service – 5,000 to 6,000 *TEUs;
Transit times — Yantian-to-Oakland, 12 days; Shanghai-to-Oakland, 17 days; Oakland-to-Kaohsiung, 19 days;
Oakland berthing – Oakland International Container Terminal.
*One TEU = the equivalent of a twenty-foot container
About the Port of Oakland
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland Seaport, Oakland International Airport, and nearly 20 miles of waterfront including Jack London Square. The Port’s 5-year strategic plan – Growth with Care – pairs business expansion with community benefits, envisioning more jobs and economic stimulus as the Port grows. Together with its business partners, the Port supports more than 84,000 jobs. Connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port on Twitter, YouTube, and at www.portofoakland.com.