"New Generation" Windmill Blades and Engines that Deliver over Twice the Power arrive at Port of San Diego’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal

Wednesday, 13 August 2008

Engines are the size of a small house

A new shipment of windmill blades and engines arrived this week at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, marking the inaugural of a shipping program that will mean more business for the Port of San Diego's maritime operations. The engine parts are described by the manufacturer as "new generation" parts because they deliver two and a half times the power of the previous shipments received. The parts are also four times larger.

The ship carrying 52 pieces of equipment docked at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal Monday, after a nearly two-week trip from Nakasaki and Yokohama, Japan.

The parts, which are offloaded from the ship by crane, are placed on trucks which transport the equipment to windmill farms in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Windmill farms have been growing in popularity due to the demand for energy that has less impact on the environment.

Eastern Car Liner, which transported the equipment to the terminal, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, the manufacturer of the windmill rotors and nacelles, have long-term contracts with the Port of San Diego. For some time, 1 mega watt engines have been offloaded two or three times a month at the terminal. This week, the shipment included 2.4 mega watt parts, which are the size of a small house.

Between now and the end of the year, more than 300 parts are expected to be offloaded at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, representing about eight additional ship calls.

Besides the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, which is located in San Diego near Petco Park, the Port operates the National City Marine Terminal in National City. Its prime cargoes are lumber and automobiles.

At the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, a variety of products are processed, including cement from China and Thailand, sand from Mexico, fertilizer from Norway, fresh fruit from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador and Australia, cars from Japan, Korea, Mexico, Germany and the UK and steel products from Europe, Korea and China.

The Port's maritime business has increased by 87 percent in the past five years and is forecast for continued growth through 2030. An annual cargo growth of 15 percent is projected through 2030.