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Another wrench of uncertainty thrown into the mix is
the Trump administration’s seemingly ever-evolving China
tariff policies and on-again, off-again trade negotiations.
“Our customers are impacted by tariffs,” the Port of
Oakland’s maritime director, John Driscoll, recently told
a gathering of local shipping, trucking, retail, and labor
leaders.
Chris Lytle, who was the Oakland port’s executive director before retiring last month, also sounded the alarm. In a
letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Lytle
He also called on the Trump administration to avoid
tariffs on cargo-handling equipment produced in China.
The Oakland port’s largest maritime terminal is awaiting
delivery in 2020 of three new ship-to-shore cranes from
Shanghai-based ZPMC. “There is not a comparable domestic producer,” Lytle said. “Tariffs could severely impede
and/or prevent our marine terminal partners from making
critical infrastructure investments needed to [compete
in] the changing international trade landscape.” China
accounts for roughly 38 percent of Oakland’s business.
