Port of San Diego: Gateway to North America
The Port of San Diego is a Working Waterfront.
The port's Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal in San Diego and National City Marine Terminal are economic catalysts for the San Diego region. The terminals are ideal for shippers of fruit and other perishables. It also handles specialized cargo, automobiles, windmill components and project cargo, which includes steel and components for power plants. The Port of San Diego serves as one of 17 “strategic ports” across the country, designated by the Defense Department to load and offload military equipment.
View video in new window“Here in San Diego, we’re able to offer specialized services tailored to the types of customers we have,” said Scott Peters, chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners. “If people aren’t getting the kind of service they need elsewhere – they know they can come to San Diego and we will get their goods moved through our Port in a way that works for them best.”
“In an era of a struggling economy, the maritime businesses located on Port tidelands employ more than 42,000 military, civilian and contract personnel and have a $600 million annual economic impact to our region,” said Wayne Darbeau, President and CEO of the Port of San Diego.
Seaports like the Port of San Diego serve as a vital economic lifeline by bringing goods and services to people around the world
Quick Facts
Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal in San Diego
- Housed on 96 acres of land, the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal is home to the largest cold storage facility on the West Coast. It has a maximum water depth of 42 feet.
- 300,000 square feet of on-dock space is dedicated to frozen and refrigerated storage.
- With maximum channel depth of 35-feet, the 140-acre National City Marine Terminal is resourcefully designed for the import and export of cars, trucks and lumber.
- A key feature of the National City Marine Terminal is its $30 million dollar dockside rail facility that accommodates 120 rail cars. It provides for rapid building of trains for the trans-shipment of vehicles. This is the only marine terminal with this auto rail facility on the West Coast.
Port of San Diego
- San Diego is one of 17 strategic ports designated by the Maritime Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
2010 Statistics
The port’s maritime operations are beginning to see a rebound in activity after two years of slow, but steady maritime activity. Imports of automobiles increased by about 10,000 units compared to the previous fiscal year. Liquid bulk cargo, which includes jet fuel, bunker and diesel fuel, was nearly 10,000 metric tons higher than fiscal year 2009.
Increases were also seen in windmill components and project cargo, which includes steel and components for power plants. As one of the nation’s leading importers of windmill components, the Port of San Diego has brought in enough equipment to supply the power needs of 1.5 million people or 500,000 households a year.
In fiscal year 2011, the Port’s Maritime Trade Office staff traveled to Asia and it will be traveling to Europe to retain and seek out new project cargo and steel business. They will also visit Mexico and South America to secure additional refrigerated fruit and general break-bulk cargo.
Types of Cargo
Total tonnage received during fiscal year 2010 (in metric tons)
- Dry bulk: 1,462,873 (includes cement, sand and fertilizer)
- Vehicles: 401,375
- Liquid bulk: 162,225 (includes jet, bunker and diesel fuel)
- Containers: 501,704
- Breakbulk: 270,003 (includes bagged cement, bagged fertilizer, lumber, palletized fruit, bagged sand and miscellaneous steel and wind turbine products
