The Port of San Diego is a seaport on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California. Established in 1962 by an act of the California State Legislature, it operates as a self-supporting special district and administers the bay and its waterfront under the state's Tidelands Trust.[5]
Ranked among the 30 largest U.S. container ship ports by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics,[6] the port handles nearly 3million metric tons (6.6billion pounds) of cargo annually through the Tenth Avenue and National City marine terminals. It serves as a major U.S. port of entry for several automobile manufacturers and holds a long-term lease with Dole for fruit imports. It is also the third-busiest cruise port in California.
The San Diego Unified Port District was created in 1962 after the California State legislature passed Senate Bill 41 and the San Diego County Board of Supervisors certified it.
In 1964, voters approved a $10.9 million bond for capital improvements. Improvements included the development of a new air terminal, preparation for Harbor Island to be leased, and construction of a new cargo terminal in National City.
In 1970, the first cruise ship to offer scheduled cruises out of San Diego since the creation of the port began making 10-day trips to Mexico.
In 1980, the port completed a wildlife refuge in Chula Vista in an effort to improve the ecological balance of the Bay.
In 1983, the San Diego Cruise Industry Consortium was formed to promote San Diego as a cruise destination and homeport. Three years later, the B Street Pier Cruise Ship Terminal was officially dedicated. That year, over 26,000 passengers embarked and disembarked at the terminal.
In 1989, the port-funded, $165 million, waterfront San Diego Convention Center opened.
In 1990, The Pasha Group began importing vehicles (Isuzus) at the National City Marine Terminal. A total of 15,589 vehicle units were imported the first year. Pasha now imports over 400,000 vehicles annually. In 1993, the port and Tenth Avenue Cold Storage Company celebrated the grand opening of San Diego's first on-dock cold storage facility, built for $11 million, at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal. In 2001, the Board of Port Commissioners announced a 20-year lease with Dole Food Company. This signified the port's entry into the refrigerated containerized cargo market. Dole ships 1.8 billion pounds of bananas annually.[7] In 2012, the port signed a new lease with Dole Food Company for an additional 24 1/2 years running to 2037.
In August 1990, the Pasha Group began importing vehicles (Isuzus) at the National City Marine Terminal. A total of 15,589 vehicles were imported in the first year. By the 2010s, annual vehicle imports exceeded 400,000.[7]
Pasha’s state-of-the art automotive terminal at the NCMT can process up to 400,000 vehicles annually5
In 1993, the port and Tenth Avenue Cold Storage Company opened an $11 million on-dock cold storage facility at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, the first of its kind in San Diego.[7]
In 2001, the Board of Port Commissioners approved a 20-year lease with Dole, marking the port's entry into the refrigerated containerized cargo market. Dole ships approximately 1.8 billion pounds of bananas annually.[7] In 2012, the port signed a lease extension with Dole for an additional 24½ years, extending the agreement through 2037.[8]
Cargo facilities
Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal
The Port of San Diego administers two marine cargo facilities: Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal and National City Marine Terminal.[9]
The Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal is a 96-acre (39ha) multi-purpose, eight-berth facility with a channel depth of 42 feet (13m). Principal inbound cargo includes refrigerated and perishable commodities, fertilizer, cement, break-bulk cargo, and forest products. The terminal includes approximately 300,000-square-foot (28,000m2) of temperature-controlled warehouse space on-dock, along with covered storage and open laydown areas. Additional features include electric mobile harbor cranes, on-dock shore power and fueling capabilities, and on-site U.S. Customs and U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection services.[9][10]
The National City Marine Terminal (NCMT), located at the southern end of San Diego Bay in National City, California, is a 135-acre (55ha) facility owned by the Port of San Diego and operated by the Pasha Group. The terminal has four working berths with a channel depth of 35 feet (11m) and direct on-dock access to rail. NCMT primarily handles automobile imports and exports for brands including Audi, Bentley, Chrysler, Fiat, Ford, GM, Hino, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Itochu, Lamborghini, Mitsubishi Fuso, Porsche, Toyota, and Volkswagen. NCMT serves as the primary port of entry for one out of every ten new foreign cars shipped to the United States. Pasha also handles cargo to and from Hawaii, lumber shipments, and other project cargo at the terminal.[9][11]
Cruise facilities
Port of San Diego B Street (right) and Broadway (far left) cruise terminals
The port's cruise facilities are located along North Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego. The primary facility is the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal which comprises approximately 120,000 square feet (11,000m2) of space, and its pier measures 1,000 feet (300m) in length and 400 feet (120m) in width. It has two berths, each 1,000 feet (300m) long with a depth of 31.5 feet (9.6m), two shore power connections, a passenger boarding bridge at the north berth, and on-site U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities.[9]
Immediately to the south, the Port of San Diego constructed the Port Pavilion on the historic Broadway Pier. Opened in December 2010,[12] the 52,000-square-foot (4,800m2) facility functions primarily as an overflow terminal when two ships are berthed at B Street and an additional vessel requires a berth. The pier measures 1,000 feet (300m) in length and 135 feet (41m) in width and has a single berth of the same length and depth as B Street. The facility includes one shore power connection, a passenger boarding bridge, and CBP facilities. When not in use for cruise operations, the building may be rented for private events, and the pier serves as a public space with a viewing area overlooking San Diego Bay.[9][13]
The Port of San Diego installed shore power for cruise ships in 2010, becoming one of the first California ports to offer the capability.[14] The Port Pavilion earned LEED Gold certification and incorporates environmentally focused features, including a 60 kW solar panel system.[13] In 2023, shore power capacity at the B Street and Broadway Pier terminals was expanded to allow two cruise ships to connect simultaneously.[15]
As of 2025, San Diego is California's third-busiest cruise port, after Long Beach and Los Angeles. During the 2025–26 season, three cruise lines—Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean—are scheduled to homeport in San Diego, with an expected 190 ship calls and approximately 800,000 passengers.[16]
Cruise activity at the Port of San Diego grew significantly in the early 2000s, increasing from 122 calls and 276,000 passengers in 2002 to 219 calls and 619,000 passengers in 2006.[17] Activity peaked in 2008 with 252 calls and more than 800,000 passengers.[18] By 2011, ship calls had declined to 103, a decrease attributed to the economic downturn and concerns about travel to Mexico amid widely reported violence.[19] Following efforts to revitalize the Mexican Riviera market, cruise activity began to recover in the mid-2010s. Ship calls increased from 68 in the 2014–15 season to 102 in 2015–16, driven in part by deployments from Holland America Line and Disney Cruise Line. In the 2019–20 season, the port projected approximately 92 calls and nearly 300,000 passengers.[20]
Notable events
In November 2010 a crippled cruise ship, Carnival Splendor, was towed to the San Diego cruise ship port after drifting for four days without power or electricity following an engine room fire.[21]
In May 2013, Celebrity Cruises' Solstice became the longest cruise ship to date to dock in San Diego, during a Wine Country Coastal Cruise.[19]
On July 13, 2016, Vice President Joe Biden made a visit to the port, delivering a speech at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal.[22]
Ships sometimes make unscheduled stops in San Diego because of storm warnings along the Mexico cruise route. During one such diverted call in 2018, San Diego hosted the largest cruise ship ever to dock in San Diego, the 4,500-passenger Norwegian Bliss. The largest ships that normally call in San Diego hold 3,000 passengers.[23]
In July 2022, the port held a groundbreaking ceremony for a $1.35 billion project to construct a resort hotel and convention center on the Chula Vista Bayfront.[24]
Environment
The port engages in public education for both adults and school children regarding pollution prevention. The port protects San Diego bay through storm water management and endangered species management along with the removal of hazardous waste and contaminated sediments.[25]
The Port of San Diego has assisted in the restoration and enhancement of over 280 acres (110ha) of environmental habitat including Emory Cove, and the Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve.[26] The port also started the Green Business Network, which is a voluntary sustainability program that provides education and resources to businesses along the waterfront, in order to sustain the ecosystem.[27]
Over head view of The Port of San Diego
The Port of San Diego and Pasha Automotive Services announced a shore powered roll-on/roll-off vessel intended to reduce emissions. This is the first of its kind within the industry. Instead of diesel it is able to use shore power from the local power grid. This massive breakthrough will begin to improve the lives and well being of those residing within National City, CA. The Port of San Diego added the shore power plug for $6.6 million. This space holds expansive opportunities with multiple areas in which more shore power ports could be installed. [28]
Real estate is one of five strategic activity areas of the Port of San Diego. The port currently administers approximately 800 separate business agreements. Revenue from real estate assets and developments, primarily building and ground rents and concession fees, was approximately $96 million in FY 2014–2015. The Port of San Diego collects rents from many hotels, restaurants, parking facilities, yacht clubs, etc. around San Diego Bay.[citation needed]
There are currently three shipyards on San Diego Bay, National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO, a division of General Dynamics), Continental Maritime of San Diego (Huntington Ingalls), and Southwest Marine (BAE Systems). NASSCO is the largest new-construction shipyard on the west coast of the United States; "specializing in auxiliary and support ships for the U.S. Navy and oil tankers and dry cargo carriers for commercial markets."[30]
With approximately 140 sworn officers, the department is prepared to protect and serve the citizens and visitors in the port's five member cities - Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City, and San Diego. The department also provides police and marine firefighting services on San Diego Bay and is contracted out to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority to provide police protection at San Diego International Airport.[31]
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574 (FY24) [1] 
1,942,436 t (FY24)
