The Port of San Diego welcomed Admiral Paul Zukunft, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, to its administrative offices on February 12, 2015. The Commandant was in town to participate in the 2015 Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association /U.S. Naval Institute Conference held at the San Diego Convention Center.
During his visit to the Port, the Commandant participated in a briefing that included Dan Malcolm, Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners; Acting President and CEO John Bolduc; Acting Chief of Harbor Police Mark Stainbrook and other senior Port staff members. The Commandant's spouse, Mrs. Fran DeNinno-Zukunft, accompanied him. She is the Ombudsman-at-Large for the United States Coast Guard. Also attending the briefing was Captain Jonathan Spaner, Coast Guard Sector San Diego Commander.
"Ninety percent of commerce moves through seaports," said Admiral Zukunft. "For the Coast Guard, it is about how we manage, safeguard and regulate maritime activity while facilitating commerce and ultimately our economic security."
Admiral Zukunft thanked the Port for its collaboration with the Coast Guard. The Port works closely with the Coast Guard Maritime Security and Safety Team for training and exercise support. The team also leases space from the Port in National City for operations. Additionally, the Port shares space with the Coast Guard in the Joint Harbor Operations Center, located at the Coast Guard Station on San Diego Bay.
"Here at the Port of San Diego, we take our role of a strategic port very seriously," Chairman Malcolm said at the briefing. "We are very proud of the joint efforts of local, state and federal security partners that work together to secure our very diverse port and especially appreciative of our partnership with the Coast Guard."
Following the briefing at the Port's offices, the Commandant and Mrs. DeNinno-Zukunft received a tour of the Port's Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal. That terminal, along with the National City Marine Terminal, is used periodically for strategic military operations. As one of 17 strategic military ports within the United States, the Port assists the military with important load-in and load-out operations that allow important equipment and supplies to be shipped out to where they are needed.
About the Port:
The Port of San Diego is a unified district encompassing five member cities surrounding San Diego Bay. A public agency, the Port is charged by the State of California with developing the tidelands and commercial business as steward of the public-trust tidelands along 34 miles of San Diego Bay. We share the waterfront with the Navy, which oversees 17 miles of San Diego Bay.
We operate under the Public Trust Doctrine, which specifies that these waterways and waterfronts are primarily reserved for water-dependent uses such as fishing, cargo activity, bay tours and recreational access such as hotels and restaurants; as well as environmental and natural-habitat preservation.
We have guided the development of this prime waterfront property with a carefully selected portfolio of world-class commercial real estate, maritime and public uses. Our 16 hotels, 25 marinas, numerous restaurants, tours and museum attractions operate side-by-side with a working waterfront of boatyards, sportfishing landings and marine cargo terminals. We also maintain 20 public parks as amenities that attract visitors and enhance the value of our waterfront.