Port of Stockton

Port of Stockton

Port of Stockton
Location
Country United States
Location Stockton, California
Coordinates 37°57′06″N 121°19′04″W / 37.95164°N 121.31764°W / 37.95164; -121.31764
Details
Opened 1932
Land area 4,200 acres (17 km2)
Available berths 14
Statistics
Vessel arrivals 230 (CY 2014)
Annual cargo tonnage 4.1 million metric revenue tons (CY 2014)[1]
Value of cargo US$1.5 billion (CY 2014)
Website
www.portofstockton.com
Northern California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The Sacramento River flows into the delta from the north and the San Joaquin River from the south through Stockton. Map show how far inland the Port of Stockton is.

The Port of Stockton is a major inland deepwater port in Stockton, California located on the San Joaquin River before it joins the Sacramento River to empty into Suisun Bay, eighty miles inland. The port sits on about 4,200 acres (17 km2), and occupies an island in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, and a portion of a neighborhood known as Boggs Tract. It is governed by a commission appointed by the City of Stockton and San Joaquin County. The Port of Stockton is California's third largest port after Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach. In 2012 it supported 4,500 jobs and made about $4.9 million in local tax funds.[2]

Map showing the Port of Stockton on the San Joaquin River

Geography

The only natural outlet for the waters of the Central Valley to pass into the sea is through the narrow Carquinez Strait, at the inland eastern extreme of San Pablo Bay. Further inland are Suisun and Grizzly Bays, arms of the Pacific Ocean deep in the Californian interior. Further inland again from these last bays is the broad Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, formed where the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers meet and cross together. This verdant triangle of land with deep black soils is at the heart of the Central Valley and stretches some fifty miles from Suisun Bay on the west to the cities of Stockton and Sacramento on the east. It is the easternmost port on the west coast of the United States.[3]

History

Early years

Stockton, California circa 1860

In 1846, the first cargo boat ascended the San Joaquin River. In 1848, John Doak established the first ferry service on the river, and the first freight vessel, the sloop Maria, visited Stockton. In 1849, Doak brought lumber from San Francisco to Stockton and began a lumber business. By the 1850s, the port had become a center of commodity shipping and the supply center for the goldfields. By the 1860s, the region saw a decline in gold production and an increase in agriculture.

1930s–1950s

The first dredging contracts for the Stockton Deepwater Channel were awarded in 1930. The Port District officially opened on February 2, 1933 when the Daisy Grey arrived bringing lumber from Oregon.

1960s–1990s

Port management recognized the increasing importance of containerized cargo and upgraded dock side facilities. The ship channel was improved dramatically in order to accommodate large PANAMAX class ships.

2000 to present

The Navy Ruff and Ready Island Naval Supply Depot built during World War II was phased out of use as a result of special legislation sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein in 1995. It was transferred to the port between 2000 and 2003. This area of the port is now known as the "West Complex".[4]

Port services

Port of Stockton worker moving a container.
Two container ships pass in San Francisco Bay near the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. Port of Stockton ships pass through the bay to get to the Pacific Ocean.
California’s Green Trade Corridor Marine Highway project to Port of Stockton

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.