WASHINGTON: The Port of Oakland Commissioners have awarded a new three-year contract to Executive Director Chris Lytle through July 2019. Lytle joined the Northern California port in 2013 after serving as executive director at the Port of Long Beach. Previously, he served in executive positions with CMA CGM, P&O Ports, APM Terminals and Sea-Land Service.
Lytle is leading the port’s efforts to handle the arrival of mega-ships and the shifting carrier alliances that are underway in the trans-Pacific trades. Earlier this year Oakland was a port of call on two separate arrivals by the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, the largest container ship ever to call in North America with a capacity of 18,000 20-foot container units.
In recent months carriers have announced a number of mergers and acquisitions and changes in their participation in vessel-sharing alliances. These developments, which will continue into 2017, take place globally but have significant impacts on carrier and terminal relationships at seaports.
Oakland is also transitioning into new marine terminal arrangements with the departure earlier this year of Outer Harbor Terminal Inc. About 90 percent of the business at the Ports America facility shifted to Oakland International Container Terminal, with the remainder moving to the TraPac terminal. In order to accommodate the surge in container volume, OICT has rolled out a trucker appointment system and program of extended gates that will help the terminal to better plan its labor and equipment assets while managing truck traffic at the facility. OICT is working with the drayage industry to improve truck turn times.
The port’s longer-term development plans include transformation of the former Oakland Army Base into a logistics hub with warehouse, distribution and transloading operations. In addition to managing the Port of Oakland, Lytle is in charge of Oakland International Airport and the port authority’s real estate operations including Jack London Square.
