Port of Stockton

Stockton, CA

Key Facts

It only takes eight hours to traverse the more than seventy nautical miles between the Pacific Ocean and the Port of Stockton, and once there you will find yourself at the heart of commercial transportation. In addition to the Port’s ocean access, the Port is situated at the hub of several major freeways, as well as two transcontinental railroads.

By the Numbers: In 2019 alone, the Port of Stockton’s trade totaled $1.05 billion, including $492 million in exports and $557 million in imports.

Top Exports in 2019

  • Rice
  • Coal
  • Sugar and starch residues

Top Imports in 2019

  • Nitrogenous fertilizers
  • Iron and steel
  • Palm oil

Top Trading Countries in 2019

  • Japan
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Malaysia

About the Port

The Stockton Deepwater Ship Channel has an average depth of 35 feet (10.6 meters), and reaches an average of 40 feet (12.2 meters) at high tide. Vessels in between 45,000 and 55,000 DWT, and even some wide-beam 60,000 DWT ships, can easily navigate the passage with a full load, while up to 80,000 DWT vessels can make the trip with a partial load. The channel does not have a width restriction, and ships up to 900 feet (275 meters) LOA are capable of reaching the Port of Stockton.

The Port is home to two massive Liebherr 550 mobile harbor cranes, each with a 144 metric ton capacity. The Port projects cargoes and has the capacity to move heavy machinery like steel presses, transformers, and windmill blades. The Port’s specialty is bulk, break bulk and liquid bulk products. The Port of Stockton has more than 80 years of experience moving and storing all kinds of commodities from bagged rice, to prilled sulfur, to molasses.

The Port of Stockton is an operating port, meaning that it has a fleet of 30,000 to 60,000 lb. forklifts, equipped with slings, spreaders, coil rams, or whatever else loading/unloading may require, and the Port provides stevedoring services so that clients don’t have to worry about managing them.

The Port’s facilities are equipped with a flexible and ever growing network of conveyors and hoppers to help in the handling and storing of products, as well as an extensive onsite rail system that connects the docks right to the BNSF and UP transcontinental lines for quick and efficient maritime to overland transitions.