Port of Los Angeles
Port Commerce

The Port of Los Angeles is operated by the Los Angeles Harbor Department, a department of the City of Los Angeles, under the requirements of the Port of Los Angeles Tidelands Trust and the California Coastal Act. Both the Tidelands Trust and the Coastal Act recognize the economic and ecological value of the Port of Los Angeles to the State of California and to the national maritime industry.

Vincent Thomas Bridge and the Port of Los Angeles

Vincent Thomas Bridge and the Port of Los Angeles

Photo by United States Coast Guard

The State Tidelands Trust gives municipalities jurisdiction over ports for activities related to fisheries, navigation, and commerce. The Los Angeles Harbor Department is responsible for Port of Los Angeles harbor operations, fisheries, navigation, and water-related commerce. Its mandates are to operate and develop the Port of Los Angeles to benefit maritime uses by acting as the landlord leasing Port properties.

The Mayor of Los Angeles appoints a five-member Board of Harbor Commissioners that set policy and provide guidance for the Port of Los Angeles. According to the City Charter, the Board of Commissioners possesses, manages, and controls the Harbor District that includes all navigable waters, tidelands, and submerged lands within the Port of Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Harbor Department is a self-supporting department that derives its revenues from shipping services and port fees. The services it provides include wharfage, dockage, pilotage, property rentals, storage, and royalties. As landlord, the Port of Los Angeles leases property to tenants who run their own facilities. Employing more than 16 thousand people, the Port of Los Angeles is the United States' busiest container port.

The Port of Los Angeles has other names. It is also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT LA. The Port of Los Angeles covers about 7.5 thousand acres of land and 69 kilometers (43 miles) of waterfront. About 32 kilometers (20 miles) south of downtown LA, the Port of Los Angeles is in the San Pedro neighborhood on San Pedro Bay. The Port of Los Angeles abuts the Port of Long Beach.

In 2010, the Port of Los Angeles handled a total of 157.8 million metric tons, including 145.7 million tons of general cargo including more than 7.8 million TEUs of containerized cargo, 10.7 million tons of liquid bulk, and 1.4 million tons of dry bulk. The Port of Los Angeles welcomed 147 cruise ship calls and almost 732 thousand passengers in 2010.

The Port of Los Angeles has grown with the worldwide increase in ocean-going commerce. In 1907, the Port of Los Angeles handled 1.1 million tons of cargo. Its top import was lumber, and its top export was oil. Its top trading partner was the Pacific Northwest region of North America. By its centennial in 2007, the Port of Los Angeles handled 189.6 million metric tons of cargo. Its top import was furniture, its top export was paper products, and its top trading partner was China.

Vincent Thomas Bridge

Vincent Thomas Bridge

The Vincent Thomas Bridge between San Pedro (left) and Terminal Island (right) viewed from 11,500 feet. A Carnival Lines cruise ship is seen in dock. The Liberty Ship SS Lane Victory is also visible, moored between the cruise ship and the bridge.
Photo by Intersofia

The Port of Los Angeles has been the United States' busiest container port (by volume) since 2000. The major containerized exports leaving the Port of Los Angeles include paper products, pet and animal feed, fabrics, fruits and vegetables, and synthetic resins. The major containerized imports arriving at the Port of Los Angeles include furniture, toys, apparel, sporting goods, vehicles and parts, and electronic products.

Facilities in the Port of Los Angeles are designed to handle cargo and passengers and to provide recreational opportunities. The Port of Los Angeles has 26 state-of-the-art cargo facilities and five intermodal railyards that help reduce truck traffic and assure smooth movement of cargoes to and from the docks.

The Port of Los Angeles World Cruise Center serves about one million passengers each year. The Port of Los Angeles is also planning for a 20-acre expansion of the cruise center to create new commercial and retail waterfront businesses to the immediate south of the center. The Port of Los Angeles also offers facilities for recreation including a marina, beach, and whale-watching expeditions.

  • Container terminals

There are eight major container terminals in the Port of Los Angeles and four dockside intermodal rail yards with direct access to a 20-mile railway that connects the Port of Los Angeles to downtown rail hubs.

Cranes at the Hanjin Shipping Terminal

Cranes at the Hanjin Shipping Terminal

Photo by Regular Daddy

Occupying berths 100 through 102, the China Shipping Container Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles is operated by the West Basin Container Terminal LLC. Covering an area of 91 acres, the China Shipping terminal has two berths with a total 648 meters (2125 feet) of quays with alongside depth of 16.2 meters (53 feet). This Port of Los Angeles terminal features eight super post-Panamax cranes and three transtainers as well as tophandlers, sidehandlers, forklifts, utility tractor rigs (UTRs), bombcarts, and an on-dock rail facility. The Port of Los Angeles' China Shipping Container Terminal serves these shipping lines: China Shipping, Yang Ming, K-Line, Cosco, Hanjin, Evergreen, and Zim.

Also operated by the West Basin Container Terminal LLC, the Yang Ming Container Terminal occupies berths 121 through 131 in the Port of Los Angeles. The terminal covers a land area of 186 acres in the Port of Los Angeles, and its four berths have a total of 1067 meters (3500 feet) of quays with alongside depths from 10.7 to 13.7 meters (35 to 45 feet).

The Port of Los Angeles' Yang Ming Container Terminal is equipped with 13 transtainers as well as a number of tophandlers, sidehandlers, forklifts, bombcarts, UTRs, and on-dock rail service. The terminal has five post-Panamax and three Panamax cranes. The Port of Los Angeles' Yang Ming Container Terminal serves these shipping lines: Yang Ming, China Shipping, K-Line, Hanjin, Cosco, Zim, and Evergreen.

TraPac Inc. operates the TraPac Container Terminal at berths 135 through 139 in the Port of Los Angeles. The TraPac terminal covers 173 acres and has five berths with a total length of 1234 meters (4040 feet) with alongside depths from 4.6 to 4.8 meters (15 to 15.7 feet). The Port of Los Angeles' TraPac terminal boasts 11 post-Panamax cranes with 40-long-ton mail hoist capacity. It also has ten transtainers, 12 side-handlers, and four toplifts.

This Port of Los Angeles' terminal has a 2601 square meter (28 thousand square foot) maintenance ship. It offers 546 reefer plugs (wheels) and 48 grounded plugs. The TraPac terminal in the Port of Los Angeles also has three portable generators to support 96 more plugs. Services include both outside and inside washing of containers. The TraPac Inc. Container Terminal serves these shipping lines: MOL, HMM, APL, CSAV, and CMA/CGM.

Terminal Island

Terminal Island

Photo by D Ramey Logan

The Port of Los Angeles' Real Estate Division operates the Port of Los Angeles Container Terminal at berths 206 through 209. Covering 86 acres, the Port of Los Angeles Container Terminal has two berths with total length of 664.5 meters (2180 feet) and alongside depths from 12.2 to 13.7 meters (40 to 45 feet). The Port of Los Angeles Container Terminal has three 15.2-meter (50-foot) gauge cranes and one 10.4-meter (34-foot) gauge crane. The terminal also has a container freight station.

Yusen Terminals Inc. operates the Yusen Container Terminal at the Port of Los Angeles' berths 212 through 225. The Yusen Container Terminal covers 185 acres and has five berths with total length of 1768 meters (5800 feet) and alongside depths from 10.7 to 13.7 meters (35 to 45 feet). The Port of Los Angeles' Yusen terminal has four super post-Panamax cranes, four post-Panamax cranes, and two Panamax cranes.

The Port of Los Angeles' Yusen Container Terminal has a 2038 square meter (21.9 thousand square foot) administration building, a 5.8-acre (23.4 thousand square foot) maintenance and repair building with ten bays, and a 446 square meter (4798 square foot) marine building. This Port of Los Angeles terminal offers 1200 wheeled slots with 500 reefer plugs. It also has 16 entry lanes, seven exit lanes, and a near-dock rail facility. The Yusen Container Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles serves these shipping lines: OOCL, NYK, and Hapag Lloyd.

At berths 226 through 236 in the Port of Los Angeles, the Evergreen Container Terminal is operated by Seaside Transportation Services, LLC. The Evergreen terminal in the Port of Los Angeles covers 205 acres and has three berths with a total length of 1433 meters (4700 feet) and alongside depths from 11.6 to 13.7 meters (38 to 45 feet). The terminal has eight post-Panamax cranes as well as top- and side-handlers. It also has a maintenance and repair facility, a refrigerated container wash rack, and an on-dock rail facility. The Evergreen Container Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles serves these shipping lines: Evergreen, Zim, and China Shipping.

General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) SD20-2

General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) SD20-2

Pacific Harbor Line performs switching and transfer services around the ports Long Beach and Los Angeles. Photograph taken at the Port of Long Beach on February 4, 2005.
Photo by Morven

Eagle Marine operates the APL Terminal/Global Gateway South Container Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles at berths 302 through 305. The terminal covers 292 acres and has four berths with a total length of 1219 meters (4000 feet) and alongside depth of 15.2 meters (50 feet). The Global Gateway South Container Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles has 12 super post-Panamax cranes. It also has a 13-acre (55 thousand square foot) maintenance and repair facility, 600 refrigerated container plugs, an interior/exterior container-washing system, and on-dock rail service that can accommodate as many as 64 five-platform doublestack rail cars.

Two dedicated rail tracks at the APL Terminal assure flexible entrance and exit points for the main railway in the Alameda Corridor. This Port of Los Angeles terminal has a gate complex that has intermodal control tower, 13 inbound and 12 outbound lanes. A real-time integrated computer system manages rail and gate operations at the APL Terminal/Global Gateway South Container Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles. The Global Gateway South terminal serves these shipping lines: APL, Evergreen, and Hapag Lloyd.

At berths 401 through 406 in the Port of Los Angeles, APM Terminals operates the Pier 400 Container Terminal. Covering 484 acres, the Pier 400 terminal has six berths with a total length of 2191 meters (7190 feet) and alongside depth of 16.8 meters (55 feet). The Port of Los Angeles's Pier 400 terminal is equipped with 14 super post-Panamax cranes. The Pier 400 terminal in the Port of Los Angeles has several buildings for administration, vessel operations, and rail operations. It has a maintenance and repair facility and multi-purpose dock. The Pier 400 terminal has 1800 refrigerated container plugs.

On-dock rail trackage at the Port of Los Angeles' Pier 400 Container Terminal totals 766 meters (2512 feet) has capacity for up to 96 rail cars. Six adjacent storage tracks with total length of 11.7 thousand meters (38.4 thousand feet) have capacity for up to 126 rail cars. The Pier 400 terminal has a transportation corridor for highway and rail traffic, and it is equipped with three advanced gate complexes with a total of 36 inbound and 20 outbound lanes. The APM Terminals/Pier 400 Container Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles serves these shipping lines: Maersk, Hapag Lloyd, Hapag, OOCL, NYK, SAF Marine, MSC, US Lines, and CMA/CGM.

The California United Terminal, operated by the company of the same name, occupies berths 405 and 406 in the Port of Los Angeles. The terminal covers 91 acres and has one berth that is 610 meters (2000 feet) long with alongside depth of 16.8 meters (55 feet). The Port of Los Angeles's California United Terminal has an administration building, a vessel operations building, refrigerated container plugs, and on-dock rail tracks. The terminal's advance gate complexes have 10 inbound and 10 outbound lanes. ThisPort of Los Angeles terminal serves the Hyundai, MOL, and APL shipping lines.

  • Bulk and breakbulk terminals

Specializing in dry bulk cargoes of industrial borates, U.S. Borax Inc. operates the Borax terminal at berths 165 and 166 of the Port of Los Angeles. Occupying seven acres, the single berth is 207 meters (679 feet) long with alongside depth of 10.7 meters (37 feet). The Borax Terminal is the only terminal in the Port of Los Angeles that is privately-owned. The terminal has capacity to transfer cargo to vessels at as much as 1000 metric tons per hour, and it has product storage capacity for 350 thousand tons.

SA Recycling operates the terminal at Port of Los Angeles berths 210 and 211 to handle all grades of both ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metals. Covering 26.7 acres, the two berths at the SA Recycling Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles are a total of 457 meters (1500 feet) and alongside depth of 10.7 meters (35 feet). Terminal features at the Port of Los Angeles' SA Recycling Terminal include on-site metal shear and shredder and near-dock rail facilities.

Tug Sea Hound passing by unknown ship in drydock

Tug Sea Hound passing by unknown ship in drydock

Photo by Tequask

The Port of Los Angeles Real Estate Division operates berths 49 through 53 to handle breakbulk cargoes and steel. The 24-acre facility has on-dock rail access and a total berth length of 640 meters (2100 feet) with alongside depths from 10.7 to 15.5 meters (35 to 51 feet). The Port of Los Angeles' primary customer at these berths is The Pasha Group.

The Stevedoring Services of America (SSA) operates berths 54 and 55 to import meats and Chilean fruit, kiwis, and apples. With a land area of 12 acres, the two berths operated by the SSA in the Port of Los Angeles have total length of 408 meters (1340 feet) with alongside depth of 10.7 meters (35 feet). The terminal has a 52.2-acre (211.3 thousand square foot) transit shed. The SSA terminal in the Port of Los Angeles serves the NYK, CSAV, and LauritzenCool shipping lines.

Pasha Properties Inc. operates the Pasha Terminal at berths 174 through 181 of the Port of Los Angeles to handle steel cargoes. The terminal covers 40 acres and has three berths with a total length of 1006 meters (3300 feet) with alongside depths from 10.7 to 13.7 meters (35 to 45 feet). This Port of Los Angeles terminal is equipped with three 40-ton capacity cranes. It has covered on-dock, on-dock rail service, covered on-dock warehouses and, transit shed capacity of 52.2 acres (235 thousand square feet). The terminal serves the Pasha shipping line.

  • Oil / Liquid terminals

There are seven liquid bulk import/export facilities in the Port of Los Angeles that cover a total of 114 acres. These Port of Los Angeles terminals have handling facilities for tankers, barges, and bulk carriers. They offer storage tanks and easy access to rail networks.

Kinder Morgan Liquids Terminals operates the Kinder Morgan terminal at berths 118 through 120 in the Port of Los Angeles to receive and export petroleum products. Covering 12.4 acres, Kinder Morgan has two berths with total length of 251.5 meters (825 feet) and alongside depth of 10.7 meters (35 feet). This Port of Los Angeles terminal is equipped with 18 storage tanks that offer total capacity for almost 68 thousand cubic meters (570 thousand barrels) of petroleum products.

ConocoPhillips operates berths 148 through 151 in the Port of Los Angeles to unload partly- or fully-refined petroleum products. The facilities cover 13.5 acres and have two berths with total length of 405 meters (1328 feet) with alongside depth of 10.7 meters (35 feet). This Port of Los Angeles terminal has 26 storage tanks with total capacity for 95.4 thousand cubic meters (800 thousand barrels) of petroleum products.

At the Port of Los Angeles's berth 163, NuStar Energy L.P. handles marine oil at a 5.8 acre facility. The single berth is 122 meters (400 feet) long with alongside depth of 11.4 meters (37.5 feet). NuStar Energy has 19 storage tanks in the Port of Los Angeles at berth 163 with total capacity for 71.5 thousand cubic meters (600 thousand barrels) of marine oil.

Oil refiner Valero handles fuels and lubricants at the Port of Los Angeles' berth 164. The 10.5 acre facility has a berth that is 149 meters (488 feet) long and has alongside depth of 12.2 meters (40 feet). This Port of Los Angeles terminal has 17 storage tanks with total capacity for 112.9 thousand cubic meters (947 thousand barrels) of fuels or lubricants.

At berths 167 through 169 in the Port of Los Angeles, Shell handles fuels and lubricants at a 9.1 acre facility. Two berths have a total length of 377.3 meters (1238 feet) with alongside depth of 11.6 meters (38 feet). This Port of Los Angeles facility also has ten storage tanks with total capacity for 57.8 thousand cubic meters (485 thousand barrels) of fuels or lubricants.

ExxonMobil handles fuel and lubricants at berths 238 through 240C in the Port of Los Angeles. With a 31.4-acre facility, ExxonMobil has four berths with total length of 275.2 meters (903 feet) and alongside depth of 10.7 meters (35 feet). This Port of Los Angeles facility also has 26 storage tanks with total capacity for 275.8 thousand cubic meters (over 2.3 million barrels) of fuel or lubricants.

Vopak operates the terminal at berths 187 through 191 of the Port of Los Angeles to handle liquid bulk chemical products. Covering an area of 34.7 acres, Vopak operates two berths with a total length of 712 meters (2336 feet) and alongside depth of 10.7 and 13.7 meters (35 and 45 feet).

The Vopak liquid bulk terminal in the Port of Los Angeles has a cement distribution facility with a 21.2 acre (86 thousand square foot) warehouse. At the docks, Vopak has 66 storage tanks in the Port of Los Angeles with total capacity for 83.5 thousand cubic meters (700 thousand barrels) of liquid chemical products. Vopak also has 22 storage tanks at an inland site with total capacity for 202.7 thousand cubic meters (1.7 million barrels).

  • Ro/Ro terminals

Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) operates the WWL Vehicle Services Americas, Inc. roll-on/roll-off terminal for processing vehicles and providing logistics services at berths 195 through 199 of the Port of Los Angeles. The WWL facility in the Port of Los Angeles covers 85 acres and has five berths with total length of 685.8 meters (2250 feet) and alongside depths from 9.8 to 10.4 meters (32 to 34 feet).

The WWL Vehicle Services Americas terminal in the Port of Los Angeles has been operating since 1969. It has storage capacity for as many as eight thousand vehicles, and it is served by a comprehensive rail yard for loading/unloading auto racks. This Port of Los Angeles terminal serves Nissan, Nissan Diesel, and Infiniti.

  • Cruise terminals

The World Cruise Center is operated by Pacific Cruise Ship Terminals at berths 91 through 93 in the Port of Los Angeles. With a land area of 18 acres, the World Cruise Center has three berths with total length of 869 meters (2850 feet) and alongside depth of 11.3 meters (37 feet). Parking Concepts Inc. operates the World Cruise Center Parking facility in the Port of Los Angeles. With 2560 secure parking spaces and overnight parking, the fee for parking is a maximum of $12 per day. Courtesy shuttles carry passengers from the Port of Los Angeles terminals to the parking lot.

The World Cruise Center in the Port of Los Angeles has two terminal buildings with three passenger processing areas, secure overnight parking, and shuttles for passengers. It also offers expedited US Customs security clearance and baggage handling. Cruise lines using the Port of Los Angeles' World Cruise Center include Carnival, Celebrity, Crystal, Cunard, Disney, Holland America, Princess, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, and Silver Sea.

Providing services to and from Catalina Island, Catalina Express, Inc. has a ferry terminal building at the Port of Los Angeles' berth 95. With a 5.7 thousand square meter (62 thousand square foot) terminal building, Catalina Express has one 30.5-meter (100-foot) berth with alongside depth of 6.1 meters (20 feet). This Port of Los Angeles ferry terminal has a deli, passenger processing and baggage handling areas, a souvenir kiosk, secured overnight parking, and ATM services. Also at berth 95, Island Express Helicopters Inc. has a helipad and offers express air service between the Port of Los Angeles and Catalina Island.

  • Tug boat operators

At least 16 companies offer tug, water taxi, or salvage services within the Port of Los Angeles. They include:

  • Rail and intermodal connections

The Port of Los Angeles offers excellent intermodal facilities and services. All but one of the container terminals in the Port of Los Angeles has an on-dock rail facility, and the Port of Los Angeles is constructing a new on-dock rail facility for the TraPac terminal that reduces truck trips in/out of the terminal by 200 thousand a year.

The Port of Los Angeles is developing a near-dock rail facility that will handle port-related intermodal containers. The Burlington Northern SantaFe Railway will operate the facility located on Port of Los Angeles property. The Port of Los Angeles anticipates that completion of the near-dock rail facility will reduce port-related truck trips on the I-710 freeway by 1.5 million, thereby reducing the infamous LA traffic on 710 and around the BNSF Hobart Yard.

About eight kilometers (five miles) from the Port of Los Angeles, the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) is a near-dock rail yard that also serves the Port of Long Beach. Operating since 1986, this multi-user facility serves many shipping lines and facilitates the movement of containers between these two California container ports and near-downtown Los Angeles rail yards.

The Union Pacific Railroad operates the highly-productive ICTF, having handled more than seven million container moves between 1986 and 1999. The 250-acre rail yard processes loads each day that leave the Port of Los Angeles bound for many destinations in the United States and Mexico. The ICTF also has on-site storage with capacity for over three thousand containers. Its loading rail tracks can support up to 95 doublestack rail cards, and the adjacent storage yard can accommodate as many as 100 doublestack rail cars.

The main gate at the Port of Los Angeles' ICTF has 16 entry/exit lanes for trucks carrying containers, eight of which are reversible in direction to accommodate changes in arrival and departure volumes. The main gate is open 24 hours a day every day of the year and processes about 1800 transactions each day. A sophisticated computer link between the gate and the container-handling equipment relays information to the Union Pacific to track cargoes. The ICTF has an excellent security system that meets all US Custom Service requirements.

Some Port of Los Angeles customers need on-dock rail service dedicated to their own use. The Port of Los Angeles has four on-dock complexes at the waterfront that share some distinctive features. The Port of Los Angeles worked with port customers and transcontinental railroads to design the facilities so that they would ensure the greatest operating efficiency.

The on-dock rail facilities are located in the backland area of the Port of Los Angeles' container terminals so that they make the best use of available land and do not disrupt dockside operations. Storage rail tracks are located nearby to maximize efficiency and throughput capacity. The on-dock rail facilities in the Port of Los Angeles can accommodate a wide range of container-lift equipment including rail-mounted gantry cranes, rubber-tire gantry cranes, reach stackers, and top picks. Each Port of Los Angeles facility also has security systems that meet or exceed US Customs Service requirements.

The APL/Global Gateway South Container Terminal at Pier 300 on Terminal Island in the Port of Los Angeles boasts its on-dock rail yard as a major selling point. The Global Gateway South complex in the Port of Los Angeles is North America's biggest such facility. Its on-dock rail yard offers eight loading rail tracks, each about 823 meters (2700 feet) long with capacity for 64 five-platform doublestack rail cars. This Port of Los Angeles facility has ten rail-mounted electric intermodal cranes. It also has a special-use rail line at four berths that allow for the direct transfer of over-sized cargo.

The 40-acre Maersk Railyard serves the world's leading shipping line and the world's biggest proprietary container terminal. The biggest on-dock rail yard in the Port of Los Angeles is located at the Pier 400 terminal, the world's biggest container terminal. The Maersk Railyard offers 12 loading tracks, each about 762 meters (2500 feet) long. Each track can handle a total of 96 railcars. It also has six adjacent storage tracks, each 1951 meters (6400 feet) long with a total capacity for 126 rail cars. On-dock rail trackage is in the backland area of the Port of Los Angeles' Pier 400 landfill and connects the landfill to Terminal Island and to near-dock rail yards operated by BNSF and the Union Pacific Railroad, which move containerized cargo to destinations across North America.

The Terminal Island Container Transfer Facility (TICTF) serves two of the busiest cargo complexes in the Port of Los Angeles. Both located on Terminal Island, the Evergreen Container Terminal and the Yusen Container Terminal needed a dedicated on-dock rail service to help handle their large volumes of cargo moving through the Port of Los Angeles.

The Port of Los Angeles responded by constructing the TICTF and the Evergreen/NYK On-Dock Railyard. The complex features four loading rail tracks a total of 2804 meters (9200 feet) long with capacity for 28 five-platform doublestack rail cars. There are also five storage rail tracks adjacent to the loading tracks with a total length of 3505 meters (11.5 thousand feet) and capacity for 35 five-platform doublestack rail cars. The dedicated arrival rail track can accommodate 28 five-platform rail cars, as does the dedicated departure rail track. One dedicated rail track facilitates switching between loading and storage tracks, and a derail operation contributes to safety in the rail yard.

The Yang Ming/China Shipping On-Dock Railyard in the Port of Los Angeles' West Basin area meets the terminal operators' requirements for a dedicated on-dock rail yard to facilitate overland delivery of its growing cargo volume.

The Yang Ming Container Terminal and China Shipping Container Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles share the rail yard that has three loading rail tracks with a total length of 2742 meters (9 thousand feet) and capacity for 27 five-platform doublestack rail cars. The facility also has three adjacent storage rail tracks of the same length and with the same capacity. The dedicated departure rail track can handle 27 five-platform doublestack rail cars, and there is a dedicated track to facilitate switching between loading and storage rail tracks. A derail operation contributes to safety in this Port of Los Angeles rail yard.

Intermodal Ship-to-Rail Transfer

Intermodal Ship-to-Rail Transfer

Photo by Williamborg

The Alameda Corridor is the foundation of the Port of Los Angeles' intermodal train network. This 32-kilometer (20-mile) cargo expressway opened in 2002 to provide a primary connection for cargo trains moving between the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and between the ports and the transcontinental rail network.

The Port of Los Angeles' Alameda Corridor was one of the biggest public works projects ever undertaken in the United States. It consists of three integral parts: the North End Corridor, the Mid-Corridor Section, and the South End Corridor.

The Port of Los Angeles' intermodal rail network is designed to funnel into the Alameda Corridor. Pacific Harbor Lines operates the Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) System for the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. The system manages all rail dispatching and switching functions to control inbound and outbound trains for maximum safety and efficiency. All of the on-dock rail yards in the Port of Los Angeles are linked into the CTC System.

Union Pacific Railroad

Union Pacific Railroad

Union Pacific locomotive pulling a train of containers southbound, just north of Union Station in Los Angeles.
Photo by Downtowngal

In order to reduce dependence on trucks to move containerized cargo and to decrease the road traffic in the busy city of LA, the ICTF and the Port of Los Angeles' rail yards use doublestack unit train service as much as possible. To ensure the Port of Los Angeles rail yards and trains work to their highest capacity, the Port of Los Angeles has made over $200 million in infrastructure improvements to roads and rails.

  • Storage Facilities

Port of Los Angeles warehouses cover a total of five hectares and extend along 524.3 meters (1720 feet) of berths. The warehouses are accessible by rail and serve many shipping lines. The Port of Los Angeles handles almost a million metric tons of fruit each year, making cold storage and logistics critical services.

Cold storage facilities also handle meat, fish, shellfish, and other perishable goods. These Port of Los Angeles facilities also provide blast freezing, USDA inspections, repacking services, reefer logistics, and other services that ensure the safe and effective delivery of perishable cargoes.

All warehouses in the Port of Los Angeles have rail access. At berth 153 in the Port of Los Angeles, Crescent Warehouse Company has warehouse facilities with 7.7 thousand square meters (83.5 square feet). Pacific Coast Fumigation Inc. operates warehouse space of 5.4 thousand square meters (58.4 thousand square feet) at the Port of Los Angeles' berth 154. The Port of Los Angeles Real Estate Division operates warehouse facilities at berth 155 that cover 5.4 thousand square meters (48.6 thousand square feet). At berth 155A, the Port of Los Angeles Real Estate Division also operates 2.5 thousand square meters (26.9 thousand square feet) of warehouse space.

The Port of Los Angeles offers cold storage services through four main companies: EStreet Cold, K-Pac, VersaCold, and Preferred Freezing Services. The combined area of their facilities is almost 167 acres. They have combined capacity for 645.6 thousand cubic meters (22.8 million cubic feet), and a total of 82 thousand pallets. Each company offers USDA inspection services, and all but VersaCold offer Plant Protection and Quarantine inspections. Temperatures range from -34°C (-30°F) to +10°C (+50°F). All of the facilities except VersaCold are about one mile from the Port of Los Angeles, and VersaCold facilities are about three miles away in Carson, California. Each company offers blast freezing. VersaCold and Preferred Freezing Services offer re-pack services.

  • Port services

The Port of Los Angeles operates the 2185-hectare Foreign Trade Zone 202 (FTZ). The FTZ in the Port of Los Angeles includes appropriate warehousing facilities, over 20 general purpose sites, and four subzones located in the LA communities of Wilmington, Northridge, Carson, and El Segundo.

The Port of Los Angeles Pilot Station is located at berth 68. Staffed 24 hours a day, pilots board most arriving ships near the Port of Los Angeles Channel RACON Buoy #3. They board tank vessels about two miles from the Port of Los Angeles entrance. Pilots board vessels with drafts over 16.8 meters (55 feet) near the Los Angeles Channel Buoy #1. Port Pilot Services require at least two hours' notice.

The Port of Los Angeles contains 17 marinas with a total of 3701 slips for recreational boats. There are also 11 marinas in Wilmington, five marinas in San Pedro, and one marina on Terminal Island. A list of the separate marinas and their locations can be found on the Port of Los Angeles website.

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