Posted on September 2, 2026
Project of the Port of Oakland Enters Engineering Phase After Agreement Signed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Work Will Expand Two Basins, Remove Millions of Cubic Yards of Material, and Prepare Terminal for Container Ships Up to 19,000 Containers
The Port of Oakland, California, has moved forward with a project estimated at US$ 642 million to address a problem created by the growth of container ships: modern vessels have become too large to perform some maneuvers effectively in areas designed decades ago. On August 27, 2026, port authorities and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed the agreement that initiates the design and engineering phase of expanding the two turning basins of the port, according to information released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
The change will be significant. The inner basin will increase from 1,500 to 1,834 feet in diameter, while the outer basin will expand from 1,650 to 1,965 feet. In practical terms, this will add 334 and 315 feet respectively to the available areas for container ships to turn. The goal is to accommodate ships measuring approximately 1,310 feet, or 399 meters in length, belonging to the class of up to 19,000 TEUs.
Currently, vessels larger than 1,139 feet already face traffic restrictions in Oakland. This is because the existing basins were designed for a vessel of approximately 6,500 TEUs, significantly smaller than several container ships that have started to frequent major international ports.
Ships Have Grown, but the Space to Turn Remains Almost the Same
The problem is easier to understand when envisioning the turning basin as a kind of roundabout built within the port.
The inner and outer channels of Oakland end in areas where large deep-draft vessels need to be able to turn around.
Thus, there are two enlarged spaces specifically designated for maneuvering.
The Port of Oakland itself compares these structures to cul-de-sacs used by cars to turn around.
However, the “vehicles” have grown.
And significantly.
Today, larger and especially longer ships regularly arrive at the port.
When they exceed that reference length, operational restrictions arise.
Without Enough Space, Container Ship May Even Need to Leave the Port in Reverse
There is a particularly striking consequence.
Without adequate basins, a ship may not be able to simply enter, unload, turn around, and exit.
For a vessel measuring hundreds of meters carrying thousands of containers, this is far from an ideal operational situation.
In addition to safety, factors such as time and costs are also considerations.
Therefore, the project aims to eliminate some of the restrictions faced by larger container ships.
The official expectation is to reduce transit time within the port, emissions, and transportation costs, while also increasing operational safety.
Inner basin gains 334 feet, reaching 1,834 feet
The largest expansion in absolute numbers will occur in the Inner Harbor Turning Basin.
Currently, it has approximately 1,500 feet in diameter.
The project will add 334 feet.
Thus, the space will reach approximately 1,834 feet, equivalent to about 559 meters in diameter.
This is not simply about dredging a larger circle.
The internal intervention also involves land areas on the shores of Oakland and Alameda.
This significantly increases the engineering complexity.
The work must create space for the ship without compromising the existing infrastructure around the port.
Another basin will reach nearly 600 meters in diameter
The Outer Harbor Turning Basin will also be expanded.
Its current diameter is approximately 1,650 feet.
After the intervention, it will reach 1,965 feet.
That’s 315 additional feet, bringing the maneuvering area to something close to 599 meters in diameter.
In this case, the expansion will primarily occur through dredging.
The result will be a space large enough to accommodate a generation of ships very different from those used as references when the existing infrastructure was planned.
Project targets container ships almost 400 meters long with a capacity of 19,000 TEUs
The size of the design vessel helps illustrate the scale.
The new configuration has been designed to facilitate the maneuvering of a container ship approximately 1,310 feet long.
This is practically 400 meters from end to end.
The reference capacity reaches 19,000 TEUs.
A TEU corresponds to a unit equivalent to a 20-foot container.
This does not necessarily mean that each ship will arrive carrying exactly 19,000 individual boxes.
The measure serves as an international standard for comparing capacity.
Even so, the leap from the 6,500 TEUs considered in the previous project shows how the shipping industry has evolved.
The reference vessel’s capacity has practically tripled.
US$ 642 million adds up to modernization costs
The Corps of Engineers reported in August 2026 that the project is estimated at approximately US$ 642 million.
The cost will be shared between the federal government and the Port of Oakland.
An earlier estimate, based on October 2023 prices and recorded in the USACE’s technical report, calculated the initial project cost at approximately US$ 608.9 million.
The update to US$ 642 million is therefore the most recent reference released by the Corps of Engineers.
The project has already received federal and local approval.
However, this does not mean that all construction is funded or that the machinery is already executing the expansion.
The project is still in the design phase.
Agreement signed in August sets engineering in motion
The most recent milestone occurred on August 27, 2026.
The Executive Director of the Port of Oakland, Kristi McKenney, and the Commander of the San Francisco District of the Corps of Engineers, Lieutenant Colonel Virginia Brickner, signed the inaugural project agreement.
The ceremony took place aboard the USS Potomac.
With this, the initiative advanced to the pre-construction, engineering, and design phase.
The timeline released by the port anticipates the initial design phase between August 2025 and December 2026.
The start of the first construction phase is expected in mid-2027.
This timeline is still presented as an estimate.
Therefore, it would not be accurate to say that heavy construction has already begun.
Before the work, the project underwent a study that started in 2020
Preparation began years prior.
On July 1, 2020, the port began a feasibility study with the Corps of Engineers.
By May 2022, the state environmental process began.
Then, on May 30, 2024, the feasibility study concluded with the signing of the USACE Chief’s report.
In January 2025, the project received federal authorization through the Water Resources Development Act of 2024.
In July of that same year, the port commissioners certified the environmental report and approved the project.
Now, detailed engineering is paving the way to transform designs into construction.
Millions of cubic yards will have to be moved
To create space for container ships, it will be necessary to move a massive amount of material.
The project documentation estimates the need for around millions of cubic yards of dredged sediments and excavated material.
The port’s FAQ cites approximately 2.4 million cubic yards, emphasizing that the final volume still depends on the detailed design.
Meanwhile, the 2024 USACE Chief’s report estimated about 2.7 million cubic yards of dredged and excavated material.
The discrepancy arises because the documents pertain to different planning stages, and quantities remain subject to revision during the design process.
The key point remains: the expansion will require a large-scale dredging and excavation operation.
Part of the material removed may become wetland
Not everything coming out of the port will necessarily be treated solely as waste.
The plan calls for the beneficial use of some of the dredged material in wetland projects.
This strategy allows sediments to be kept within the San Francisco Bay system and used to accelerate habitat expansion and recovery.
The 2024 report anticipated approximately 454,000 cubic yards designated for beneficial use during construction.
Other materials may be directed to appropriate facilities depending on their composition.
Thus, logistics involve not only removing millions of tons of sediment.
It also requires deciding where each category of material will go.
Electric dredges enter the planning
Another uncommon element is the method of performing dredging.
The plan considers the use of electric dredges during construction, in addition to the beneficial use of the sediments.
For this, land-based infrastructure capable of providing power to the equipment will be necessary.
According to the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the use of electric dredges was requested by the Port of Oakland as an additional improvement to the project.
The extra costs specifically associated with this choice will be the responsibility of the port.
The proposal aims to reduce impacts related to emissions and noise during construction.
Study became the first of its kind in the country to recommend an expanded benefits plan
The project also has a particularity.
According to the Port of Oakland, this was the first navigation study by the US Army Corps of Engineers to recommend a Comprehensive Benefits Plan.
The alternative incorporates additional costs precisely to produce benefits that exceed the cheapest engineering solution.
Among these are the use of electric equipment and the beneficial use of dredged material for environmental restoration.
The port states that concerns raised by local communities regarding climate resilience, emissions, and noise helped shape this alternative.
Larger ships can carry more cargo with fewer stops
The economic logic behind the expansion does not merely depend on fitting a larger container ship into the port.
Larger vessels can carry more cargo in a single stop.
Thus, theoretically, the same volume of goods may require fewer trips from smaller vessels.
The Port of Oakland claims this improves the utilization of container ships and generates economic benefits.
There is also an impact on downtime.
A vessel facing restrictions to enter, maneuver, or exit consumes resources while it remains in port.
By expanding the basins, Oakland aims to make this flow more efficient.
Even the ship’s electrical connection depends on being able to maneuver into the correct position
There is another curious operational detail.
Large vessels need to dock with the appropriate side facing the shore power infrastructure.
This system allows the ship to connect to the land power grid while at the dock.
Then, the auxiliary engines can be turned off.
To position the vessel correctly, the captain needs the flexibility to turn the ship upon arrival or departure.
In other words, increasing the maneuvering area is also related to reducing emissions while at the terminal.
It is not just a matter of fitting.
It is about being able to enter, maneuver, position, and exit efficiently.
Port will have to adapt infrastructure built for a different generation of ships
The project illustrates a problem faced by major ports around the world.
A terminal can remain operational for decades.
However, ships do not stay the same size.
Shipowners have begun operating larger container ships to achieve economies of scale.
As a result, channels, bridges, berths, and basins built for previous generations are starting to impose limitations.
Oakland has reached just that point.
The infrastructure was originally designed for 6,500 TEUs and now needs to make way for vessels in the 19,000 TEU class.
Instead of building another port, the chosen solution was to physically enlarge the available space within the existing port.
Project will also impact land areas of Oakland and Alameda
In the internal basin, the intervention won’t be limited to water.
The expansion will require alterations to land on the shores of Oakland and Alameda.
The preliminary plan calls for new stretches of containment structures and impacts on land areas adjacent to the canal.
The numbers may still change during detailed project phases.
This is one of the reasons why the engineering phase is so critical.
Before dredging can begin, those in charge need to precisely define how to expand navigable space while maintaining bank stability and reorganizing existing infrastructure.
Construction could start in 2027
If the current schedule progresses as planned, the first phase of construction could begin in mid-2027.
Until then, engineering and funding efforts continue.
The project has already received federal authorization and local approval.
The Port of Oakland is also coordinating to obtain federal resources for the next phases.
Therefore, the venture has passed an important milestone, but a path still exists between the engineering agreement and the large dredges working in the bay.
From 1,139 to 1,310 feet: port expands space as ships continue to grow
The numbers summarize the transformation.
The existing basins were designed for a vessel measuring 1,139 feet and 6,500 TEUs.
Now, Oakland is preparing infrastructure for container ships of approximately 1,310 feet and 19,000 TEUs.
The internal basin will increase from 1,500 to 1,834 feet.
The external basin will expand from 1,650 to 1,965 feet.
And the current cost of the project is approximately US$ 642 million.
It is a massive investment to address a problem that seems simple when put into a few words:
the ships have gotten so large that the port needs to increase its available space to allow them to make the turn.
