Metro Ports concluded a new five-year terminal management agreement effective July 1, 2008 with the Port of San Francisco to operate the Pier 80 omni-cargo terminal.

Metro has a long and successful relationship with Port of San Francisco. Metro currently handles the stevedoring for the Hanson Aggregates Mid Pacific, Inc. bulk facility at Pier 94, and Metro’s affiliate Metro Cruise Services LLC operates the port’s Pier 35 cruise terminal. In the 1980s, California Stevedore & Ballast (CS&B), the original parent corporation to Metro, managed the Pier 80 terminal, the cruise terminal, and other businesses in the San Francisco bay region. With this new agreement, Metro will bring back its breakbulk cargo handling expertise from other California and southeastern ports operations to Pier 80, while emphasizing customer service for the current major clients that include Star Shipping, Saga Forest Carriers, Oldendorff Carriers, and Gearbulk.

In 2007, Pier 80 accommodated 160,000 metric tons of breakbulk cargo. Major commodities included various steel products including coils, rebar, plate, beams and pipe; boats and yachts; lumber; newsprint; and projects. The facility also accommodates bagged, crated and roll-on/roll-off cargoes.

In 2004, the terminal was selected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to be the first terminal on the U.S. West Coast to install Radiation Portal Monitors (RPM) to screen all import cargo.

The port looks forward to this agreement with Metro reinvigorating its cargo marketing efforts and increasing its cargo volumes at the 70-acre facility that has four deep-water berths (38-40 feet MLLW), four shore side gantry cranes with 40-long ton capacity, on-dock rail, 400,000 square feet of covered storage, ample paved land for staging of project cargoes, 2700 lineal feet of dock with a dock load of 1000 pounds/sq. ft., and quick access to two major highways.

“The Port of San Francisco is extremely pleased to have Metro Ports managing our Pier 80 terminal operation,” said Peter Dailey, Port of San Francisco deputy director for maritime. “With Metro on board, we believe we have all the pieces in place to provide a solid product to our customers and grow our cargo business.”

Metro will utilizing its personnel and resources already in place to increase services to the greater Northern California market.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to expand upon our existing partnership with the Port of San Francisco,” said Metro Ports President and CEO James Callahan. “Our original parent company, CS&B, started handling break bulk cargo in San Francisco in 1852, and we are very pleased to continue the legacy in 2008 through an omni-type terminal that fits well into Metro’s growth plans, while providing a much-needed service for shipping lines calling at Pier 80.”

This new Metro agreement coincides with the July 2008 opening of the port’s new $26 million Illinois Street Intermodal Bridge, which will reinstate on-dock rail service to Pier 80.

The port also recently concluded an 11-year rail agreement with San Francisco Bay Railroad, formerly LB Railco, to operate the port’s rail facilities, including those at Pier 80.

Metro Ports is a holding of Nautilus International Holding Corp. The company is a marine terminal operator and stevedore contractor that handles all types of cargo. Companies under the new Metro brand include Metropolitan Stevedore Co., Southeast Crescent Shipping Co., Southeast Maritime Services LLC (which holds the Savannah International Terminal), and Cape Fear Bulk LLC.