The Port of San Diego will honor San Diego’s deep ties to the maritime industry this month with a series of events, including free public tours.
Dubbed “Maritime Month,” the Port of San Diego says the educational, month-long celebration is meant to recognize the industry’s role in job creation and economic prosperity in America’s Finest City and to give the public an inside look at what it’s like to work the waterfront.
To that end, two free public bus and four boat tours will take place throughout May with bus tours departing from Pepper Park in National City (3299 Tidelands Ave.) and boat tours departing from Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego (1000 North Harbor Drive).
The Port says the tours will feature detailed narrative on San Diego’s working waterfront including cargo operations, cruise facilities, shipyards, and associated vessels calling on the Port.
The bus tours are set for May 17 and May 24 – both at 10 a.m.
The boat tours are scheduled for May 14 and May 21, with two tours taking place on each of those days. The first boat tour on May 14 boards at 9:30 a.m. and departs at 10 a.m. and the second tour boards at 12:30 p.m. and departs at 1 p.m. The first boat tour on May 21 boards at 10 a.m. and departs a half-hour later, and the second tour boards at 12:30 p.m. and departs at 1 p.m.
The Port says the theme of Maritime Month is “Ships Bring Prosperity,” which highlights why San Diego Bay’s deep water makes it an ideal location for cargo terminals to import and export goods from around the world.
Local
Common cargo that passes through San Diego includes bananas, automobiles, steel, lumber, cement, soda ash and project components. This type of cargo, according to the Port of San Diego, has significant impact to the region’s economy.
“In San Diego, industrial and maritime commerce and related industries around the Port contribute $3.5 billion to the region’s economy and generate 12,800 waterfront jobs,” the Port said in a press release Tuesday.
Port tenant Pacific Tugboat Service will also sponsor a “Name That Tug” contest for Maritime Month in which four vessels in the company’s fleet will be renamed after local military heroes. The contest is set for May 20 at Cesar Chavez Park and will include 150 local middle school student participants.
Nationally, May 22 is recognized as National Maritime Day, as first declared by the United States Congress in 1933.
To register for a bus or boat tour via the Port, click here.
