Officials at the Port of Oakland are poised to add US$12.50 per TEU to the cost of shipping goods through the port.
Port officials have been saying for months that they would impose a container fee this year. The port is facing financial challenges because of lower traffic, and earlier this month announced that 60 to 70 employees would be laid off.
Officials said they needed to put such fees in place so they had a revenue source for environmental programmes. State bond money is available for truck replacement and rail infrastructure improvements, but the port must have matching funds to qualify.
Although they stress the need for revenue, port officials also said they had to remain competitive. The $12.50-per-TEU fee would be capped at a maximum of $25 per container, regardless of size.
Those levels are significantly lower than at Southern California ports, where containers face fees if they travel on the Alameda Corridor or if they are drayed from terminals during day shifts. In addition, fees totaling $50 per TEU are scheduled to go into effect on October 1 at the Southern California ports.
Port officials have been saying for months that they would impose a container fee this year. The port is facing financial challenges because of lower traffic, and earlier this month announced that 60 to 70 employees would be laid off.
Officials said they needed to put such fees in place so they had a revenue source for environmental programmes. State bond money is available for truck replacement and rail infrastructure improvements, but the port must have matching funds to qualify.
Although they stress the need for revenue, port officials also said they had to remain competitive. The $12.50-per-TEU fee would be capped at a maximum of $25 per container, regardless of size.
Those levels are significantly lower than at Southern California ports, where containers face fees if they travel on the Alameda Corridor or if they are drayed from terminals during day shifts. In addition, fees totaling $50 per TEU are scheduled to go into effect on October 1 at the Southern California ports.