Port warehousing and logistics are in full swing at the Port of
Stockton in California, USA.
A new dry fertilizer storage facility on the port’s west
complex built to serve a key agricultural region in the USA is
now in operation. It consists of an 80,000-tonne storage
warehouse for dry bulk fertilizer and a terminal which
simultaneously handles a full assortment of seven different key
products, including NPKs (nitrogen, phosphorous and
potassium), calcium nitrate and urea.
This new Stockton facility will increase marketing
opportunities, add new ship calls and increase fertilizer
movements through the port.
The State of California is the fifth-largest agriculture producer
in the world, with approximately 250 crops, and supplies nearly
75% of all US cash crops. Additionally, rail deliveries from the
Port of Stockton via the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and
Union Pacific railroads can easily reach Canada and the US
mid- and southwest.
Also adding to the Port of Stockton’s enhanced services is
Best Logistics, Inc.’s expansion from acquiring the former Cost
Plus cross-dock warehouse. Third-party logistics is a valuable
tool to the shipping community and this fully integrated
warehousing and transportation location has it all. This facility is
a 552,000-square-foot triple warehouse complex, consisting of
ambient and air-conditioned food grade spaces as well as
industrial and yard space. The 14-acre campus is completely
fenced, gated and checkpoint secured and benefits from the Port
of Stockton’s 24/7 port police security and surveillance. The
company provides WMS (warehouse management system)
technology with product tracing and recall capabilities along with
flexible operating hours. There are 108 closed truck docks, five
ground-level doors (with indoor flatbed loading/unloading area),
10 boxcar spots for dry or refrigerated cargo, five flatcar/center
beam spots on separate rail spur, and available pallet racks and
bulk storage. On-site asset-based equipment includes 3-axle
tractors, 45-foot and 48-foot flatbeds, 48-foot and 53-foot dry
vans, boxcar and side carriage lifts, carton and paper roll clamps,
automatic stretch wrap machines and fork extension, among
other capabilities.
 
RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS ON THE WAY
The port is evaluating rail infrastructure improvements. Some
bond money is available immediately, and application for grant
money has been filed for the port to add a 3,200ft run of track
to complete a rail loop on the west complex. Also, on the west
complex, the port is installing four railroad tracks for the
marshalling area. Grant money received through the Council of
Government, administered by Cal Trans, will be used. When
completed, it will be approximately 6,000ft of track. Ultimately,
these tracks will align with existing tracks, currently being used
as a transloading facility, and will provide for future connect,
which will convert that area into a marshalling area as the port
grows outward.
   Current rail capabilities include the Port of Stockton’s Shipto-
Rail Facility on its West Complex has:
  • more than 2.5 miles of on-dock rail service on a double reinforced concrete pier;
  • two 1.25-mile sections of on-dock rail with capacity of morethan 80 100ft railcars;
  • more than 12,000 linear feet of rail makes this the largest single terminal on dock rail facility on the US West Coast;
  • a facility that contains a third additional1.25-mile section of near-dock rail within 80 yards of the water; and
  • 5.5 million square feet covered storage located within a quarter of a mile of the terminal’s rail.
 
SHORT SEA SHIPPING IS ON THE HORIZON.
The Port of Stockton has applied for a
TIGER (Transportation
Investment Generating Economic Recovery)
grant through ARRA (American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act) federal funding
stimulus in concert with the ports of
Oakland and West Sacramento to develop
short sea shipping barge operations between
Stockton, Sacramento and Oakland. The application has been
evaluated by the US Dept of Transportation, with the Port of
Stockton receiving a portion of a $30 million grant. This grant
money will allow for development of short sea shipping and be
available for other infrastructure improvements, such as cranes,
paving, rail and road infrastructure, and demolition of obsolete
facilities.
 
LOCATION
The Port of Stockton is a 35-foot, deep-water port located in
Foreign Trade Zone #231, just 75 nautical miles east of San
Francisco Bay at the confluence of the San Joaquin River and the
Stockton Ship Channel, within 1.5 miles of Interstate 5. The
entire 4,200-acre port area includes more than 2,000 cumulative
acres of industrial properties, which is supported by 15,000
lineal feet of dock, more than seven million square feet of
covered storage and serviced by the Union Pacific and
Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads, both of which having
equal access to the port through their regional railroad, the
Central California Traction Company, and their main lines within
eight miles of the Port and have direct access for unit-train type
of service.
   The Port of Stockton continues to pursue its role as a niche
port specializing in servicing breakbulk, dry and liquid bulks and
other non-containerized cargoes.