The sight of a dozen or more container ships, each the length of the Salesforce Tower, sitting in the bay chugging diesel has become the norm for Bay Area residents and those driving over the Bay Bridge.

That’s about to change, after the organizations responsible for the movement of the 200,000-ton ships in and out of the Port of Oakland launched new rules this week.

Previously, ships joined a queue on approaching the coast and anchored in the bay while awaiting their docking space. As of Monday, the vessels will instead receive an assignment time from the port and remain 50 miles off the coast while they wait, outside of a new zone named the the “Safety and Air Quality Area,” leaving the bay waters open.

Container ships sit idle in the the San Francisco Bay just outside of the Port of Oakland on March 26, 2021 in San Francisco, California.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

“The overall goal is to reduce congestion, to promote maritime safety and minimize air quality impacts,” Port of Oakland spokesperson Roberto Bernardo told SFGATE over the phone. He said that on Wednesday, there are ten ships anchored in the Bay awaiting berth at the port. “The numbers should go down in the coming days, you’ll see a dramatic decrease,” he said.

The new off-shore queuing process was designed in a joint effort by the Pacific Maritime Association, the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association and the Marine Exchange.

“The new process reduces emissions from vessels located near the Bay Area, and allows more space between vessels – an important safety feature during winter storms,” ​​The PMSA said in a statement to SFGATE, “The new procedure also enables vessels to slow steam across the Pacific, thereby reducing overall emissions throughout their journey.”

“Air quality is a huge issue at all ports,” Bernardo said. The Port of Oakland says it has reduced diesel emissions by 86% since 2005, largely through the use of “shore power,” meaning the vessels turn off their engines and plug into a 100% carbon-free electric grid when berthed. “When they plug in they actually run on pure solar and wind energy,” Roberto said. “The maritime industry has come a long way. The goal is to be an all electric port.”

Container ships sit idle in the the San Francisco Bay just outside of the Port of Oakland on March 26, 2021 in San Francisco, California.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The new queuing system was first implemented in November of last year at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and significantly reduced the vessel backlog in San Pedro Bay during the historic supply chain congestion caused by the pandemic.

“The resounding success of the new container vessel queuing system in Southern California has set the stage for this expansion to the Bay Area,” PMA President and CEO Jim McKenna said in a statement. “This updated system has reduced the number of vessels at anchor near our ports, enabling safer operation for vessels and their crews as well as additional protections for coastal communities.”

The number of container ships at anchor and drifting off the coast around Los Angeles fell to 17 by January, down from 86 when the new process went into effect in November, according to Marine Exchange of Southern California, a nonprofit that tracks the movement of vessels .

The new rules do not reduce the overall number of ships coming into the Port of Oakland. “It doesn’t mean there are going to be fewer ships, it just means they’re not going to be anchored in the San Francisco Bay,” Bernardo said.

If you don’t have a view of the bay right now, this Marine Traffic live map show the current number of cargo ships, and all other vessels, in the area.

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Olga R. Rodriguez

SAN FRANCISCO – Cruise ships are returning to San Francisco after a 19-month hiatus caused by the pandemic, which is sure to boost the city’s economy, the mayor announced on Friday.

The Majestic Princess will enter the port of San Francisco on Monday, the first cruise ship to dock in the San Francisco Bay Area since March 2020, when the Grand Princess caught the world’s attention and hit the coronavirus for millions in the United States made. The ship carried people infected with the coronavirus and thousands of passengers on board were quarantined while the ship was idle off the California coast.

The Port of San Francisco, home to the Bay Area’s only passenger cruise terminal, is expecting 21 cruise lines for the remainder of the year.

“Tourism is an important part of our city’s economy and helps us pay for essential services that enable us to take care of our most vulnerable residents,” Mayor London Breed said in a statement. “This announcement is just another example of our city coming back to life and emerging stronger than ever from this pandemic.”

The cruise terminals are close to some of the city’s most famous attractions, including Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39 and the Ferry Building. When the largest cruise lines dock, over 6,000 passengers, crew and terminal workers can disembark, dine and shop in the area, the Breed office said.

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The Majestic Princess will set sail from Los Angeles on a week-long voyage on the California coast that includes an overnight stay in San Francisco.

Passengers must provide proof of vaccination and proof of vaccination at least 14 days prior to departure. A negative COVID-19 test must be taken within two days of her embarkation, according to a statement from Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., which operates the ship.

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Cruises elsewhere in the U.S. resumed operations in June after a lengthy hiatus during which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended repeated no-sail missions as the pandemic raged. Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, the three largest cruise lines, lost $ 20 billion together last year and another $ 4.5 billion in the first quarter of 2021, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

The CDC’s latest cruise ship guidelines recommend that passengers provide both a recent negative COVID test and proof of vaccination. It advises travelers who are at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illnesses to avoid cruising.

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