Ocean cargo moving again at the Port of Oakland

Ocean cargo operations at the Port of Oakland are back to normal with all terminals open for business, said spokesmen. The news comes as a relief to shippers, who as late as yesterday were worried about a prolonged disruption caused by the “Occupy Oakland” movement.

According to a news alert provided by Devine Intermodal (a major drayage operator) the protest “inhibited some drivers from leaving the port area late in the day as well as the ILWU (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) from entering.”

The ILWU had vacated the TraPac Terminal yesterday, and Devine reported that terminal operators were reporting difficulty in getting all the labor needed for smooth gate, terminal and vessel operations.

Across the bay at the Port of San Francisco, the same concerns were expressed.

“While some threat did exist for us, none of our cargo operations were affected,” said Jim Maloney, the port’s maritime marketing manager interview. “We were more worried about finding adequate numbers of longshore workers.”

The Port of Oakland – the nation’s fifth largest ocean cargo gateway – said in a statement that “we appreciate the efforts of our tenants, business, and labor partners to get back to work and back to business today.”