CA: Major Port Proposed for Baja Region ~~ LA & Long Beach ports Maxed out!

Los Angeles Times ^ | April 9, 2005 | Chris Kraul and Deborah Schoch, Times Staff Writers

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

MEXICO CITY — A coalition of shipping and freight concerns announced plans Friday for a $1-billion port on deserted seaside farmland about 150 miles south of Tijuana on the Baja peninsula. They hope to link the Mexican port to California with a new rail line connecting to the Imperial Valley and compete with the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports for a share of the multibillion-dollar West Coast shipping business.

If it materializes, the Punta Colonet facility would be one of the largest public works projects undertaken in Mexico, requiring the construction of roads, housing, public buildings and other infrastructure where none now exists.

The firms have begun lobbying the Mexican government, telling officials there would be enough cargo traffic and investment dollars to underwrite a major portion of the cost to build the port and a new city to serve it.

At stake is a share of the estimated $200 billion in revenue generated annually by shipping through California.

"We have to get Colonet developed," said Walter J. Romanowski, an executive with Los Angeles-based Marine Terminals Corp., a holding company owned by Evergreen and Yang Ming shipping lines of Taiwan, Hanjin of South Korea and China Shipping of Shanghai, all among the world's largest shipping firms. "There are no other viable West Coast options."

Romanowski said he wanted the right to build a complex of berths, warehouses and cranes that by 2012 could be running 1 million standard container units a year, about one-seventh the current volume at the Los Angeles port. Construction of the proposed Mexican port would take at least five years, the shipping companies say.

[SamAdams76]

Like it or not, Canada and Mexico are de facto part of the United States. Mexico supplies us with cheap labor and Canada, well, they just have lots of open space that will come in handy someday (actually they are already our major supplier of energy).

Within 100 years, it will become official and the United States will stretch from the Arctic Circle to the Panama Canal. Including Cuba.

[DTogo]

Seal the borders and enforce our immigration laws before opening up a rail line which could make smuggling all that much easier.

[DoctorMichael]

Translation: We need more room to unload all that crap coming in from China et al. that we're sending our jobs to.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Just posted this article about Sock manufacturing moving to China:

Two Sock Capitals Rely on Strategies Poles Apart

[BurbankKarl]

I think this will go through. China Inc will build one of those automated ports like in Rotterdam.... They unload the containers from the ships to robot lorries, which take them to the correct areas for loading on trains or trucks. This would never get accomplished in the Port of LA due to unions. Plus, the shipping companies are now enemy number one for the AQMD, etc saying they are the number one source of pollution.

[Mark was here]

What is the AQMD?

[BurbankKarl]

The Air Quality Management District......the smog nazis....

they say that the ships in the harbor are now the number one source of smog in Southern California (since they burn bunker oil to power their generators while in port)

[Mark was here]

they say that the ships in the harbor are now the number one source of smog in Southern California (since they burn bunker oil to power their generators while in port)

Why don't they throw a good sized extension cord over to the dock and plug in?

[piceapungens]

No thanks, I'll take the Old America, without mariachi music and hockey fans.

[Ben Ficklin]

La Entrada al Pacifico

[John Lenin]

Within 100 years, it will become official and the United States will stretch from the Arctic Circle to the Panama Canal. Including Cuba.

As long as they adopt the US Constitution, no problem.

[mthom]

I cant imagine if the 3 countries joined that two of the countries would submit to the thirds constitution. They would want to change it for pride if nothing else. Count me out.

[John Lenin]

Since we have the biggest economy we should have the say so, if they want to join with us. You can't have different laws because you drove a few feet over an imaginary line.

[mthom]

Im not saying what should be Im saying what I believe would be. The democratic process involved would be filled with nationalistic feelings. Neither Canada nor mexico would want to be seen as being swallowed up by the United States. They would want a new constitution. I cant see them not wanting one. Deal breaker. Not that I believe the merging will ever happen.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

Aloha, MATSON =


Longtime Tenant - Port of Los Angeles

Present Tenant - Port of Long Beach


Future Tenant - 2 Ports in China


http://www.Matson.com


Signed:.."ALOHA RONNIE" Guyer
Veteran-MATSON / 33 years



.

[Smartaleck]

"Mexico supplies us with cheap labor"

A member of the Stevedore's union in Longbeach who walks around with a clipboard writing down container numbers makes $90.00 and hour. The Mexican port will do well.

[Smartaleck]

"Seal the borders and enforce our immigration laws before opening up a rail line which could make smuggling all that much easier."

With jobs at the new port, why would they come to the US?

[DTogo]

There are only going to be so many jobs to fill, and if they can sneak into a container bound for the U.S., or underneath a rail car, why not?

A pre-inspection of the rail cars upon leaving the Mexican port will do no good as anyone and anything will likely be able to hitch a ride before it crosses into the US. The entire train will have to (should be made to) pass through a special zone where every container and car can have dogs sniff it over for people and/or drugs. With that in mind, will it be economical? Probably not. Without it, will it be safe? Probably not.

[snowman1]

Maybe all the ILLEGALS will run back south top work on it. Don't hold your breath till they do. They have it too good on welfare here.