May is Maritime Month at the Port of San Diego and to help celebrate it, the Port is offering free public boat and bus tours of San Diego Bay and its Working Waterfront.
Maritime Month is the region’s unique celebration of National Maritime Day on May 22, which is a day to pay special tribute to the merchant marines and to the benefits that the maritime industry provides to the country.
“The Port of San Diego is pleased to provide these free tours to the public to commemorate Maritime Month,” said Rafael Castellanos, Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners. “San Diego’s maritime industry provides nearly 13,000 jobs and $2.7 billion in direct economic impact to the region and these tours are an opportunity for the public to learn more about these vital businesses.”
The bus tours will take place on Thursday, May 17 and Thursday, May 24, 2018. The tours will begin at 10 a.m. at Pepper Park, 3299 Tidelands Avenue, National City. Guests will have a rare, behind the scenes look at the National City Marine Terminal where Port tenant Pasha Automotive Services imports and processes approximately 450,000 vehicles annually. The tour will then proceed north on Harbor Drive, past Naval Base San Diego, General Dynamics/NASSCO, BAE San Diego Ship Repair and Continental Maritime. It will then enter the Port’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, where guests will see the various cargos that arrive at that terminal. As the bus is traveling, Port staff will explain the various areas and discuss the economic impact that the maritime industry has on the San Diego region. The tour will take approximately two hours. Free parking is available in Pepper Park’s parking lot.
The boat tours will take place on Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20, 2018. There are two tours on each day, one departing at 10:45 a.m. and one at 1:15 p.m. Participants will board the Inspiration Hornblower at Pier 1, Hornblower Landing, 1800 North Harbor Drive at the foot of Grape Street. The vessel tours will provide a waterside view of the Port’s cruise terminals, cargo terminals, Naval Base San Diego and shipbuilding and repair yards. The vessel tours take approximately two hours.
To sign up for a bus or vessel tour, go to www.portofsandiego.org/maritimemonth.
