As the US prepared for the 4th of July, Independence Day holiday, the San Francisco Bay port directors were swamped with a large number cargo ships coming to their port.
The 4th July Rush
Although it might seem to be an effect of US-China trade war but that’s not the case. It was a mere coincidence. The sudden rush was due to the holiday season.
“It’s because of Fourth of July holiday,” said Port of Oakland spokesman Robert Bernardo. “There wasn’t any work being done, so they’re just catching up.”
Peter Dailey, deputy director at the Port of San Francisco, offered the same explanation.
The longshoremen who load and unload cargo ships had July 4 and 5 off for Independence Day, creating a bit of a backup on moving freight.
“We have five ships at berth this morning and five due,” Bernardo said. He added that many of the ships are oil tankers and fueling vessels not headed for the port.
Time for Ship-spotting
So if ship-spotting is your thing, this is a good time. And it turns out a spectacular cargo ship is due to enter the bay by Monday. That’s when a 1,036-foot-long, cherry blossom magenta-colored container ship is set to arrive at the Port of Oakland from Long Beach. Named the ONE Competence, the ship is the newly branded symbol of Japan’s recently consolidated container shipping lines. The ship will depart Tuesday for Hong Kong.
The color represents a cherry blossom tree, symbol of Japanese spring, the port said, adding that ONE plans to brand more of its 240 vessels with the vibrant hue. The ONE Competence can carry more than 8,000 20-foot containers.
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Source: The Mercury News
