Cargo Business Increases At Port of San Diego

Thursday, 14 July 2011
Contact: John Gilmore (619) 686-7206

The Port of San Diego is experiencing a busy summer with the arrival of more than 600 alternative energy components, which may be an indicator of an economic recovery both domestically and world-wide.

The first of the shipments of engine boxes and wind blades that arrived from Spain were offloaded recently at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal in San Diego.

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The components were stored for a short time, before longshore workers began loading the cargo onto a ship bound for a large wind farm in Honduras. The shipment included about 40 components.

“Manufacturers have been unable to move their products because of market conditions and the tight money supply, “said Scott Peters, Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners. “What we are seeing now is this pent up demand for energy components finally has an outlet and it’s coming in waves.”

The Port of San Diego is an economic engine for the region through the jobs it generates and the income tied to maritime-related businesses and the visitor and tourism industry. It also serves as an environmental steward of San Diego Bay.

In late July, General Electric will begin importing 126 wind towers from China, along with 76 tower blades from Brazil. About the same time, Mitsubishi will begin sending 50 sets of hubs and engine boxes from Yokohama, Japan.

Both the General Electric and Mitsubishi components will be transported to the Tehachapi Wind Farm, in Tehachapi, Calif. where there are more than 5,000 wind turbines. The farm is the second largest collection of wind generators in the world with the largest at the Altamont pass, near Livermore, in the San Francisco Bay area.

The turbines in Tehachapi are operated by a dozen private companies that produce enough electricity to meet the residential needs of 350,000 people every year.

The wind towers and other components are stored at the 96-acre Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal in San Diego, before they are transported by truck to wind farms throughout California and in several other states, including Iowa, Ohio, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.

Because of the influx of cargo, the port’s Maritime Operations Department is making arrangements for the arrival and storage of some of the components at the National City Marine Terminal, which typically processes lumber and automobiles.

In addition to the upcoming shipments, which will occur between now and the end of the year, the port is negotiating with a wind turbine manufacturer in Germany to import energy products through the port. If an agreement is reached, the manufacturer would ship dozens of components to the port.

Alternative energy cargo has been a growing element of the port’s maritime business.

“What we can offer here that customers cannot get anywhere else, particularly in larger ports, is space for temporary storage.” Peters said. “Because of its strategic location and proximity to wind farms in Southern California, San Diego has become the preferred port for many wind energy manufacturers importing or exporting to or from California.”

Wind components imported or exported through the Port of San Diego arrive and depart both by ship and truck. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway is working to change that by promoting the advantages for rail transportation, including the movement of goods from the port.

In addition to the alternative energy components, fertilizer shipments will soon begin arriving at Tenth Avenue from Norway. Ships are scheduled monthly for the next year. Most of the fertilizer, shipped in bags or bulk, is transported to the Imperial Valley.

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