Friday, March 15, 2013

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SSA Marine to manage Port of Stockton container barge service for new M-580 Marine Highway

SSA Marine will manage the Port of Stockton's terminal for the new M-580 Marine Highway Corridor service between Stockton and Oakland, according to a port statement.

The M-580 Marine Highway will launch service in early spring 2013. SSA Marine will provide container-on-barge terminal services at the Stockton port, including terminal management, marketing and logistical support. The port will maintain oversight, including for barge and towboat operations.

"We are very pleased to have selected SSA Marine to provide marine terminal management services for our Marine Highway program," said Richard Aschieris, director of the Port of Stockton. "SSA Marine has extensive national and international terminal operating experience."

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $30 million TIGER grant to the ports of Oakland, Stockton and West Sacramento in 2010 to develop the infrastructure for a container-on-barge service between the Central Valley and the San Francisco Bay area.

The Port of Stockton received $13 million of the grant to support its purchase of two 140-ton mobile harbor cranes and to ready the port to for the project. Stockton also bought two dedicated barges, which were modified to handle containers.

The M-580 Marine Highway will help to reduce congestion along the I-580/I-5 corridors. Studies have estimated that approximately 1,600 containers per day move between the two ports, causing I-580 to be one of the most congested highways in the state. 

Additionally, the M-580 will serve as an overweight corridor, offering cost savings to exporters by allowing them to load containers to full capacity, reducing the number of containers transported.

Photo by: Michael McCollum/The Record

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