Tonnage shows slight increase at Port of Redwood City

With some variances in overall tonnage this current fiscal year attributed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers not dredging the channel in a timely fashion, Zortman said the channel restriction is being addressed. 

After delays, the channel was recently dredged from 21 feet deep to 28 feet deep. Meeting the authorized channel depth of 30 feet, Zortman said, will likely be complete by the end of the summer. 

“It will improve everything,” she said, in terms of stabilizing how much importing and exporting the port expects in coming months. 

Still, she said the port expects to come in above the projected total tonnage by the end of the fiscal year. 

In April alone, the port imported and exported more than 93,000 metric tons of material. 

From July 1, 2023, to April 2024, cargo tonnage moving across the docks hit 1,521,424 metric tons, 49,809 more tons compared over the same period in the prior fiscal year. 

Over the 10 months, the port welcomed 92 vessels — 16 more than last year — including 60 cargo ships and 37 barges.

Tonnage reports are “an important indicator of how the Port of Redwood City is contributing to the local economy and advancing our maritime services to the broader Silicon Valley region and other countries,” according to a port press release. 

The only deep-water port in the south San Francisco Bay, the Port of Redwood City handles aggregates mostly, specializing in bringing in bulk cargo and construction materials. 

Sand and aggregates shipments make up just over half of the port’s tonnage. Other bulk cargo mainly include gypsum, cement and slag — small pellets of metal used often to strengthen concrete and add structural longevity to roads and bridges.