Port of Oakland wraps harbor tour season with 1,400 visitors

The Port of Oakland held its last, free, harbor tour of the season on October 18. The final tour of Oakland Seaport operations brought local family and community members together for the fun, Halloween-themed event. The entire tour season welcomed nearly 1,400 guests to give them a closeup view of maritime operations. They learned about the Port of Oakland’s roles as an economic engine, the fifth biggest jobs generator in the region, and apublic agency that delivers important community benefits like zero-emissions projects.

“The educational tours are a great way to bring the community and the Port together,” said Port of Oakland Executive Director Danny Wan. “Many of our facilities are best viewed from the water, and people are awestruck by the sheer size of ships and cranes. Seeing this massive maritime infrastructure up closegives visitors a unique perspective of the Port’s operations and its significance to the region.”

Ferryboats from the Blue and Gold fleet set sail monthly throughout the summer. Six Port of Oakland free harbor tours were held from May through October. The final tour of the season welcomed 245 visitors, many of whom enjoyed donning their Halloween costumes. Tour guests enjoyed a special narration about Port operations, activities, and plans for the future, given by Port of Oakland Executive Director Danny Wan on the last harbor tour.

The 90-minute event is a behind-the-scenes glimpse of one of the West Coast’s major ports. The Oakland Seaport is also one of the top ten busiest ports in the United States.

Guests toured the Oakland Inner and Outer harbors and viewed the Port’s iconic container cranes and commercial megaships that move imports and exports through this international gateway. The cruise continued under the western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge near Yerba Buena Island.

Visitors learned about the positive economic impact of the Oakland Seaport’s operations and the environmental efforts the Port is taking on its road to zero emissions. The Port has offered the popular, free tours to the public since 2002.