Port of Alaska
The Port of Anchorage is the most active port in the U.S. state of Alaska, through which 95% of all (non-petroleum) cargo in and out of Alaska passes. It is located just north of Ship Creek near downtown Anchorage on the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet of the Pacific Ocean.
Geography
The Port of Anchorage spans across the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet on the Pacific Ocean.
Climate
The Port of Anchorage itself operates year-round, but the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet freezes over from mid-Fall through mid-Spring, restricting marine activities.
Ice
Between October 17. and November 17., the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet ices or freezes over for the Winter.[1]
Between March 10. and May 15., the ice breaks-up for the Summer. [1]
History
The Port of Anchorage began operations in September, 1961. 38,000 tons of marine cargo moved across its single berth during that first year. The Port of Anchorage was the only port in South Central Alaska to survive the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake. The Port has since expanded to a five-berth terminal providing facilities for the movement of containerized freight, iron and steel products, bulk petroleum and cement. The high water mark of Port operations occurred in 2005 when, for the first time, more than 5 million tons of various commodities moved across the Port's docks.[2]
Anchorage is served regularly by two major carriers:
- Horizon Lines, and
- Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE)
which bring four to five ships weekly from the Pacific Northwest. Petroleum tankers supply jet fuel for airport operations, barges on-load petroleum products for western and Interior Alaska, and ships from Japan and Korea call frequently transporting construction materials or loading refined petroleum.[2]
A 128.96-acre (0.5219 km2) Industrial Park adjoins the Port to the east. Approximately 80.87 acres (327,300 m2) of the Park are under long-term lease to various Port users. Additionally, there are 31.0 acres (125,000 m2) for the staging and storage of marine cargo in transit. However, a majority of that acreage is presently occupied by the two major general cargo carriers, Horizon Lines and Totem Ocean Trailer Excpress (TOTE). In order to maintain market dominance, the Port will need to accommodate larger ships, be able to unload containers using better and bigger cranes, and ensure continued service to city businesses, citizens, and the State. The Port needs to modernize the necessary intermodal transportation links needed to meet these increased demands.[2]
Future
Towards that end, starting in 2003, the Port of Anchorage undertook an initiative to expand and modernize. If able to stay on schedule, by 2013 the Port will double in size and be a world-class Intermodal facility capable of not only better supporting its current tenants; but also poised to take advantage of growing opportunities being presented by changes occurring in the global shipping industry.[2]
Connections
Rail
Direct connection to Alaska Railroad a Class II railroad serving South Central Alaska and Interior Alaska.
Truck
Nearby truck access to the Alaska intrastate highway routes:
Alaska Route 1 North-East bound, the Glenn Highway to either:
Alaska Route 4, the Richardson Highway North-bound to Fairbanks or South-bound to Valdez/Cordova.
Alaska Route 3 North-bound, the George Parks Highway to Wasilla, Houston, Willow, Talkeetna/Trapper Creek, Cantwell, Denali, Healy, Anderson/Clear, Nenana and Fairbanks.
Alaska Route 2, the Alaska Highway from Tok to Fairbanks or Yukon Territory, Canada.
- Alaska Route 1 South-West bound, the Seward Highway to either:
- Whittier Tunnel and Whittier, Alaska
- Alaska Route 1, the Sterling Highway to Sterling, Soldotna, and Homer.
Alaska Route 9, the Seward Highway to Seward.
Facilities
Maritime Services
Port facilities include five berths and 0 feet (0 m) of linear dock space. Docks are maintained at a full seaway depth, which is 35 feet (11 m) to 45 feet (14 m).[3]
The docks have excellent direct connections with the Alaska Railroad, and highway connections to Alaska intrastate highway routes.
? terminal operators use port facilities:
Berths
| Dock |
Berth Length |
Warehouse Storage |
Facilities |
Tenants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 feet (0 m) | |||
| 2 | 0 feet (0 m) | |||
| 3 | 0 feet (0 m) | 0 square feet (0 m2) | ||
| 4 | 0 feet (0 m) | 0 square feet (0 m2) | ||
| 5 | 0 feet (0 m) |
Anchorage Terminal
Cargo
Annual Tonnage
| Year |
U.S. Rank |
Total Tons |
Domestic Tons |
Foreign Total Tons |
Foreign Imports Tons |
Foreign Exports Tons |
Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 102 | 2,926,536 | 2,306,192 | 620,344 | 464,774 | 155,570 | [4] |
| 2005 | 94 | 3,527,469 | 2,629,553 | 897,916 | 430,396 | 467,520 | [5] |
| 2004 | 101 | 3,085,753 | 2,323,089 | 762,664 | 284,347 | 478,317 | [6] |
| 2003 | 96 | 3,178,633 | 2,494,261 | 684,372 | 218,233 | 466,139 | [7] |
| 2002 | 102 | 2,983,137 | 2,318,653 | 664,484 | 251,203 | 413,281 | [8] |
| 2001 | 108 | 2,861,134 | 2,157,496 | 703,638 | 225,281 | 478,357 | [9] |
| 2000 | 103 | 3,157,247 | 2,416,514 | 740,733 | 382,240 | 358,493 | [10] |
Annual Container Traffic
| Year |
Domestic Inbound Loaded TEUs |
Domestic Inbound Empty TEUs |
Domestic Outbound Loaded TEUs |
Domestic Outbound Empty TEUs |
Domestic Total TEUs |
Foreign Inbound Loaded TEUs |
Foreign Outbound Loaded TEUs |
Foreign Total Loaded TEUs |
Grand Total Loaded TEUs |
References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 227,126 | 523 | 47,641 | 3,216 | 278,506 | 0 | 2,342 | 2,342 | 277,109 | [11] |
| 2005 | 231,274 | 656 | 59,864 | 25,379 | 317,173 | 299 | 1,881 | 2,180 | 293,318 | [12] |
| 2004 | 440,559 | 207 | 161,301 | 61,441 | 663,508 | 1,880 | 527 | 2,407 | 604,267 | [13] |
| 2003 | 223,962 | 183 | 58,056 | 10,423 | 292,623 | 383 | 347 | 730 | 282,748 | [14] |
See also
Notes
^ A: TEU means Twenty-foot equivalent units. Foreign empties are not included.
References
- ^ a b "Technical Report - Marine Ice Atlas for Cook Inlet, Alaska - Table 3 - Northern Cook Inlet" (PDF). Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
- ^ a b c d "Port of Anchorage - History" (HTML). Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska.
- ^ "Anchorage Harbor Navigation" (PDF). Civil Works Branch, Alaska District, Pacific Ocean Division, United States Army Corps of Engineers.
- ^ "Tonnage for Selected U.S. Ports in 2006, Sorted by Port Name" (HTML). Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center, Navigation Data Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers.
- ^ "Tonnage for Selected U.S. Ports in 2005, Sorted by Port Name" (HTML). Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center, Navigation Data Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers.
- ^ "Tonnage for Selected U.S. Ports in 2004, Sorted by Port Name" (HTML). Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center, Navigation Data Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers.
- ^ "Tonnage for Selected U.S. Ports in 2003, Sorted by Port Name" (HTML). Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center, Navigation Data Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers.
- ^ "Tonnage for Selected U.S. Ports in 2002, Sorted by Port Name" (HTML). Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center, Navigation Data Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers.
- ^ "Tonnage for Selected U.S. Ports in 2001, Sorted by Port Name" (HTML). Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center, Navigation Data Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers.
- ^ "Tonnage for Selected U.S. Ports in 2000, Sorted by Port Name" (HTML). Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center, Navigation Data Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers.
- ^ "U.S. Waterborne Container Traffic by Port/Waterway in 2006, Loaded and Empty TEUS[[#cnote_A|[A]]]" (HTML). Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center, Navigation Data Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers.
{{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ "U.S. Waterborne Container Traffic by Port/Waterway in 2005, Loaded and Empty TEUS[[#cnote_A|[A]]]" (HTML). Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center, Navigation Data Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers.
{{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ "U.S. Waterborne Container Traffic by Port/Waterway in 2004, Loaded and Empty TEUS[[#cnote_A|[A]]]" (HTML). Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center, Navigation Data Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers.
{{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ "U.S. Waterborne Container Traffic by Port/Waterway in 2003, Loaded and Empty TEUS[[#cnote_A|[A]]]" (HTML). Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center, Navigation Data Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers.
{{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
General References
- "Frequently Asked Questions" (HTML). Port of Anchorage, Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska.
- "Tides and Currents - Port of Anchorage" (HTML). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce.
- United States Army Corps of Engineers, United States Department of Defense
- "Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center" (HTML). Navigation Data Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers, United States Department of Defense.
- "Civil Works Branch" (HTML). Alaska District, Pacific Ocean Division, United States Army Corps of Engineers, United States Department of Defense.