INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Port of Oakland advances expansion and modernization
T he Port of Oakland is moving forward with a broad program of expansion and modern- ization projects, working closely with terminal tenants and leveraging fed- eral support from agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maritime Administration (MARAD). Kristi McKenney, Executive Director of the Port of Oakland, told APP con- ference delegates that the port’s invest- ment program encompasses both upgrades to existing infrastructure and projects designed to increase future capacity. “We are pursuing a number of expansion and modernization projects at the Port of Oakland,” McKenney said. “This includes things like wharf rehabilitation and expansion as well as crane and rail rehabilitation on our existing terminals.” The port’s modernization efforts also include significant investments in electrical infrastructure and zero-emis- sion equipment as the Port works with its tenants to advance cleaner terminal operations. McKenney emphasized that the pro- jects are being undertaken through partnerships among the Port, its ten- ants and federal agencies. Grant fund- ing from EPA and MARAD is helping support the investments, while ter- minal operators are making substan- tial commitments of their own. One of the most visible examples of that
... ports ... are balancing the need to maintain and expand aging infrastructure with demands for greater efficiency, capacity and environmental performance.
private-sector investment is the recent arrival of two massive container cranes at TraPac’s terminal. At approximately 440 feet tall, the Liebherr cranes are the largest container cranes on the West Coast and the first Liebherr cranes of their kind deployed on the West Coast. “It’s been exciting to see that investment and commitment to our Port,” McKenney said. Two additional cranes are under construction and are expected to be deployed in October. Those cranes will be approximately 10 feet taller than the recently installed units, fur- ther increasing the terminal’s cargo- handling capabilities. For McKenney, the investments demonstrate more than the physical transformation of Oakland’s marine terminals. They also represent a vote of confidence from the companies that operate at the port and rely on its infrastructure. “That’s what’s so important,” she said, pointing to the APP’s empha- sis on partnership. “The partnership between all of us is so critical, but that partnership also extends to our tenants and customers.” The port’s modernization program comes at a time when ports through- out the Pacific are balancing the need
Kristi McKenney, Port of Oakland
to maintain and expand aging infra- structure with demands for greater efficiency, capacity and environmental performance. McKenney said the will- ingness of tenants and customers to invest alongside the port is an import- ant indicator of Oakland’s future. With wharf and crane rail rehabili- tation, terminal expansion, electrical infrastructure, zero-emission equip- ment and new high-capacity cranes underway, Oakland is positioning its existing facilities for continued pro- ductive use while building the infra- structure needed to support the Port’s next generation of cargo operations.
Mark your calendar! APP’s 113 th Annual Conference October 5 to 8, 2027, Stockton, California
18 — PACIFIC PORTS — October 2026
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