Port of San Diego

The Port of San Diego is a seaport on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California. It was created in 1962 by the California State Legislature and runs as a special district that looks after the bay and its waterfront.

It is one of the 30 largest places in the U.S. for big ships carrying boxes, handling almost 3 million metric tons of goods each year. The port helps many car companies bring their vehicles into the country and also brings in fruits for Dole. It is also a very busy place for people to start their cruise trips.

The port is led by a group of seven leaders chosen by the nearby cities of Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City, and San Diego.

History

The San Diego Unified Port District was created in 1962 after the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved it.

In 1964, voters approved money for new buildings and improvements, including a new air terminal and a cargo area in National City. In 1970, the first cruise ship began trips from San Diego to Mexico. In 1980, the port built a wildlife area in Chula Vista to help nature.

In 1983, a group was formed to bring more cruise ships to San Diego. In 1989, a big building for meetings opened near the water. In 1990, cars began arriving at the port in National City, and later, the port started moving frozen goods like bananas.

Cargo facilities

The Port of San Diego manages two places where ships can unload cargo: the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal and the National City Marine Terminal.

The Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal is a big area with space for many ships. It is good for storing things that need to stay cool, like food, as well as other items such as cement and forest products. It has special buildings to keep things cold and also places for ships to get power and fuel.

The National City Marine Terminal is located at the southern end of San Diego Bay, in National City, California. This place mainly handles cars coming from other countries for brands such as Audi, Bentley, Chrysler, Fiat, Ford, GM, Hino, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Itochu, Lamborghini, Mitsubishi Fuso, Porsche, Toyota, and Volkswagen. It is where many new foreign cars arrive in the United States. It also helps move cargo to and from Hawaii and handles special projects.

Cruise facilities

The Port of San Diego's cruise facilities are located along North Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego. The main facility is the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal, which has about 120,000 square feet of space. Its pier is 1,000 feet long and 400 feet wide, with two spots for ships. It also has special equipment for passengers and facilities for checking people in.

Next to it, the Port Pavilion opened in 2010. This building is used when there are extra ships needing a place to dock. It has similar features to the B Street Terminal and can also be used for private events when not busy with ships.

In 2010, the port started providing electricity to ships, which helps the environment. By 2023, they could support two ships at once. As of 2025, San Diego is a very busy place for cruise ships, with three big cruise lines using it as a home base.

Cruise activity grew a lot in the early 2000s but dropped a bit around 2011 because of travel concerns. It started to grow again in the mid-2010s.

Notable events

In November 2010, a cruise ship named Carnival Splendor had no power and was towed to San Diego for repairs.

In May 2013, the longest cruise ship up to that time, Solstice, docked in San Diego.

On July 13, 2016, Vice President Joe Biden visited the port and spoke at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal.

Sometimes ships stop in San Diego because of bad weather in Mexico. In 2018, the biggest ship ever to visit San Diego docked there.

In July 2022, the port started planning to build a big hotel and convention center near the bay.

Environment

The Port of San Diego works to teach people about stopping pollution and protects San Diego Bay by managing water during storms, helping animals in danger, and cleaning up harmful waste and dirty soil.

The port has helped bring back and improve more than 280 acres of nature areas, like Emory Cove and the Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve. It also started a Green Business Network to help waterfront businesses learn about keeping the environment healthy.

The Port of San Diego and Pasha Automotive Services created a special ship that uses power from land instead of diesel. This is the first ship of its kind and will help people living in National City, CA.. The port spent $6.6 million to add this power connection, and there are many more places where this can be done. The port also has this land power for ferries to Hawaii and fishing boats.

Real estate

Real estate is an important part of the Port of San Diego's work. The port manages around 800 different business deals. It makes money from things like renting space to hotels, restaurants, and parking spots around San Diego Bay.

The Port of San Diego rents land to 18 hotels, including tall buildings like the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel and the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. It also has hotels in places like Point Loma, Harbor Island, and Shelter Island.

There are three shipyards on San Diego Bay. The biggest one is National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, which builds ships for the U.S. Navy and other uses. The other two shipyards are Continental Maritime of San Diego (Huntington Ingalls) and Southwest Marine (BAE Systems).

Port of San Diego Harbor Police

The Port of San Diego Harbor Police has about 140 officers who work to keep people safe in five cities: Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City, and San Diego. They also help with safety on San Diego Bay and work with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority to protect San Diego International Airport.