Port of San Diego Celebrates Maritime Month with Free Bus Tours

May is Maritime Month at the Port of San Diego and to celebrate, the Port is offering free bus tours that will give guests a firsthand look at some of the goods arriving on U.S. shores, including automobiles and refrigerated cargo, as well as the important local shipbuilding and ship repair industry. There will also be food, entertainment, and more.

Details:

• Friday, May 19 – Pepper Park, 3299 Tidelands Avenue in National City
  • There will be three 30-minute tours of the National City Marine Terminal departing at 12 p.m., 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. Free parking is available in the Pepper Park parking lot and along adjacent streets.
• Sunday, May 21 – Cesar Chavez Park, 1449 Cesar E. Chavez Parkway in San Diego
  • There will be three 30-minute tours of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal departing at 12 p.m., 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. Free parking is available at the park and in the Continental Maritime lot next to the park.

Space for the tours is limited and each will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Boarding will begin 30 minutes prior to each tour. Participants must be 18 years of age or older, and valid identification will be required for terminal access.

On both days, the public can also enjoy food representing some of the countries from which the Port of San Diego receives cargo, live entertainment, face painters, and educational booths where the public can learn more about the Port’s maritime activities, maritime tenants, and maritime stakeholders, including Dole Fresh Fruit, Pasha Automotive, ILWU Local 29, and others.

“The Port of San Diego is grateful to the many men and women who work in the maritime industry,” said Chairman Rafael Castellanos, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. “These workers provide invaluable services while greatly contributing to our region’s diverse economy. Maritime Month gives us the ability to shine the spotlight on them and to thank them for their dedication.”

Maritime Month is the region’s unique celebration of National Maritime Day. In 1933, a Joint Congressional Resolution established May 22 as National Maritime Day to recognize the men and women of the U.S. Merchant Marine and the many other maritime industry workers who have transported cargo and defended the United States since 1775. The Port of San Diego joins ports throughout the nation to celebrate this day and, as it has done for many years, the Port of San Diego extends Maritime Day into a month-long celebration.

The Port’s maritime industry includes four sectors at the heart of it all: cargo, cruise, shipbuilding and ship repair, and commercial and sport fishing. A 2019 economic analysis study found that the Port of San Diego’s Maritime Trade and Cargo Handling Industry has a $64 million annual economic impact on the region and provides approximately 2,000 direct jobs (jobs that are on the Port tidelands). The Industrial and Wholesale Industry on Port tidelands, which includes shipbuilding and ship repair, has a $2.1 billion annual economic impact and employs approximately 6,600 people. The Port’s cruise industry has a $20 million annual economic impact and provides nearly 500 direct jobs.

For more information on Maritime Month and events, visit portofsandiego.org/maritimemonth.