Harbor Cruise

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the harbor cruise. Leaning about how the port operates like a landlord for hundreds of different companies was eye opening. I always thought the port owned everything, docks, cranes etc. Seeing the container ships upclose and how huge they are was also amazing. Man, the amount of imports are staggering!

[Anonymous]

Living in Long Beach for over 9 years I had no idea all that the Harbor possessed. I am greatful for such an opportunity. The port is one topic that can fit in any class and any subject of teaching. I will use it for U.S. History.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the opportunity! I was also amazed by the harbor cruise. I cannot believe the size of the port. I loved reading the material they handed out about how the harbor is going green. It was also really interesting to hear the guide talk about how they are trying to raise money to increase the height of the bridge. It was scary to hear about how now, ships have to wait until high tide, make sure they have plenty of heavy cargo, etc. to make sure they do not hit the bridge!

[Anonymous]

Visiting the Port of Long Beach was a wonderful experience. It certainly made me more aware of all the seaport activity. I now feel more informed about what actually passes through the Port. Seeing the cargo ships up close was an incredible site, as well as, getting a birds eye view of the cranes. It was interesting to see the size difference of the cranes due to the height of the Gerald Desmond Bridge. My son-in-law works in the Port for Hanjin as a supervisor. Now, I have a better understanding of his position and the importance of his posiltion with the security of the Port.
Jewell Lee Toombs

[Anonymous]

What is truly fascinating about the harbor cruise is the fact people find it so fascinating!

Such a statement stems from a recent conversation I had with a Chinese American CEO with offices in Shanghai and San Diego. As a wealthy businessman working in software development, his dealings with Chinese industry have little to do with the port, or — if his company does have such dealings this activity is so far removed from his executive duties as to be either meaningless or nonexistent.

I am curious as to his dismissive manner, and am hoping he will elaborate in a future conversation.

[Anonymous]

Port of Long Beach Harbor Cruise. 4 Feb. 2008.

What a fabulous experience. I enjoyed the harbor cruise and the presentation given by a representative from the Port of Long Beach who spoke on trade between the United States and East Asia. From my home, I see the cranes from both the Long Beach and Los Angeles Ports and wonder about statistics of imports and exports, security, and environmental issues. The size of the shipping containers, as well as the depth of storage on a vessel is overwhelming. My husband supervises the loading and discharging of container ships at the Hanjin terminal in Long Beach and was in disbelief when he found out that one container was filled with eye shadow.

[Anonymous]

In the Business section of 5/12/08 Los Angeles Times or
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-containers12-2008may12,0,3407915.story

This article reminds me of our interesting trip to the Long Beach Port. Here is part of the story...

Headline: U.S. exporters face cargo container shortage at ports

The weak dollar has increased demand for American goods overseas, but a decline in imports means fewer ships are coming from Asia.
By Ronald D. White, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 12, 2008
At a time when the struggling U.S. economy needs the biggest boost it can get from booming exports, companies and agricultural producers with American goods bound for overseas can't find enough empty cargo containers and have to wait weeks to get space on ships headed to Asia.

Only a few years ago, the trade bottleneck was the reverse. At U.S. harbors -- particularly the nation's biggest container complex at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach -- there were too few dockworkers to handle surging imports. Inland rail capacity to the rest of the U.S. was similarly strained.

Now, because of the container problem, U.S. exporters find themselves unable to take full advantage of the competitive edge of a weak U.S. dollar.

"We could export a good 20% more in agricultural products from this country if there was the capacity to handle it," said Peter Friedmann, general counsel for the Washington-based Agriculture Transportation Coalition, a lobbying group formed to help growers become more competitive internationally.

"People talk about how important it is to reduce the trade deficit. Well, here is one way to do it, and the opportunity is slipping away."

The container problem is being most acutely felt in the Midwest, said Friedmann and other experts. Southern California isn't suffering as much because of its ports' role as a key gateway to Asia.

Los Angeles and Long Beach moved 15.7 million containers in 2007, nearly three times as much as the No. 3 port, New York/New Jersey, and attracted many more empty containers for shipping back to Asia than any other port complex.

This year, imports through March were down 7% at Los Angeles and 11% at Long Beach, while exports were up 21% and 26%, respectively -- and the numbers of empty containers were down 28% and 25%.

"Last year, I could have called for a ship and had it by next week. Now it takes up to six weeks to book one. There just isn't enough room on the ships," said Howard Wallace, president of the Los Angeles Harbor grain terminal, where exports are up 150% this year.

[Anonymous]

Its always interesting to find history in your own backyard. The Ports of LA and Long Beach are truly a testament to the power of consumption, and innovation. While floating alongside the enormous container vessels one can miss the importance of the containers themselves. The steel boxes changed how shipping was conducted. The systems all had to be switched over to accommodate the now ubiquitous "box" which started carrying our goods over fifty years ago. Marc Levinson has written an interesting book about these boxes called coincidentally, The Box, How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger.

[Author]

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