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Port gets high mark on Delta barge idea
Oakland Tribune, Oct 29, 2006 by Paul T. Rosynsky
OAKLAND -- A Port of Oakland plan to replace as many as 400 trucks on Interstate 80 with a couple of huge barges that would transport cargo on the Delta to Sacramento has merit, but only with the support of taxpayers and the maritime industry, a new study has found.
Every level of government from local to federal would have to contribute a combined $35million toward the project for it to be profitable, according to a feasibility report commissioned by the port.
In addition, a two-barge network would have to be filled to capacity for the system to reap the financial rewards to keep it float.
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Nevertheless, using barges to transport goods from the shores of San Francisco Bay to the state's center would be an innovative solution to growing state concerns over pollution, traffic congestion and port capacity, the study found.
And it gives credence to the Oakland port's decision last year to take control of the struggling inland Port of Sacramento to help easecongestion on its own docks.
"The Oakland-Sacramento Ferry Service project is synonymous to the start of the Interstate system many years ago," the report written by Seaworthy Systems Inc. states. "Ferry systems, such as the one being proposed by the Port of Oakland, can be the beginning of what the nation needs in high-density traffic areas where there is a water alternative."
The cornerstone of the system would be two, newly constructed barges designed specifically for this plan.
They would have a fold-up ramp in the stern and a tugboat-like bridge at the bow. They would be 630 feet long, 105 feet wide and able to float in water as shallow as 15 feet.
Each barge would be able to carry just over 200 containers, to be stacked atop each other, much like on the rail cars that roll through Jack London Square every day.
Creating the unique barge would be the program's most expensive cost, the study found. Each barge would cost about $34 million, the study estimated.
In addition, each port would have to spend at least $3 million constructing a dock for the specialized equipment.
"We didn't want to use a standard barge, a standard barge is really useless for this," said Port of Oakland Maritime Director Wilson Lacy. "We wanted something that was very useful here, something that could be used in an emergency."
In lobbying for government funding, the ports of Oakland and Sacramento will argue that the barges could help in a disaster and otherwise reduce pollution and traffic congestion.
If the ports can collect $34 million in government funds and do enough business to keep the barges full, the charge for shipping a container by barge would be the same as by truck, the study states.
And, if used to capacity, the system could take more than 400 trucks off Interstate 80, reducing congestion and the need for new highways or widening projects.
"It is a heck of a lot cheaper than building a mile of highway," Lacy said.
Port of Sacramento officials are pleased with the report's conclusions and said its release last month caused a buzz in the Central Valley maritime industry.
"What was a surprise was when we unveiled this report, there was a tremendous amount of interest from folks in and around Sacramento," sad Mike Luken, manager of the Port of Sacramento. "Everybody can see on the horizon that Interstate 80 is just going to become more and more crowded."
Although the barge would turn the two-hour truck trip from Oakland to Sacramento into a 10-hour journey, it still could result in shipments getting to their final destinations faster. Many predict a shortage of truckers in the near future, and congestion on interstates makes it more and more expensive to ship a container around the state.
Both ports now will begin the lobbying effort for funds and will conduct an in-depth study to see where and how the barges can be built and where loading docks could be constructed.
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