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19 January 2000
www.portofsandiego.org
News Release
Contact:
Rita Vandergaw (619) 686-6388
Diana Lucero (619) 686-6388
Tap New Markets ‘Down Under’
Citing vast trading potential with Australia and New Zealand, Board
of Port Commissioners approves new overseas trade representative
(SAN DIEGO –Date) Oceangoing trade
between San Diego and Australia/New Zealand is poised for a boost thanks to the hiring of
a new overseas trade representative serving the Port of San Diego. At its December 14
public meeting, the Board of Port Commissioners brought on board McArthur Shipping of
Sydney, Australia to represent the Port in Australia and New Zealand from January 2000
through June 2001.
"McArthur Shipping will give the Port a valuable presence in what promises to be
an increasingly lucrative market for San Diego," said Patricia A. McQuater, Chairman
of the Board of Port Commissioners. "The fact that we’re the closest maritime
Port in the continental U.S. to Australia, combined with that region’s abundance of
natural resources and other commodities, makes for a perfect match."
Australia and New Zealand are rich in commodities well-suited for import through the
Port of San Diego, including fruits, vegetables, meats, steel, minerals and forest
products. Over the past two years, the Port has received citrus shipments and over 35,000
tons annually of cottonseed from Australia.
The Port hopes to build on that success with the recent Board action, targeting
prospective cargoes such as silica sand, golf course sand, other free-flowing bulk
products, forest products and perishables. One advantage for the Port is its
state-of-the-art cold storage facility at the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal,
which is ideally equipped to handle the many types of cargo from Down Under requiring
refrigeration.
McArthur Shipping maintains 26 offices throughout Australia and New Zealand and has
three years experience arranging successful trade missions in the area for the Port.
The Australian representative is the latest addition in a network of overseas trade
offices strategically selected to increase sea-borne trade between San Diego and key
international markets. The Port is also served by trade offices in Hong Kong, Korea Japan
and Chile.
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