History
The 1850s witnessed the height of the California Gold Rush wherein the Port and City of San Francisco developed rapidly. It was during this historic time that California Stevedore and Ballast Company was conceived by two Danish sea captains in San Francisco by the names of Eschen and Minor. And, as the saying goes, the rest is history. The development of Southern California with the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles led to the formation in 1923 of a second company named Metropolitan Stevedore Company, later rebranded to Metro Ports.
The Roaring ’20s was a time when our industry was built on the backs of a strong labor force. Nowhere was this more evident than in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, where Metro Ports saw an opportunity to introduce new systems to help labor keep up with the increasing imports of products from Europe, fruit from the Tropics, and rubber from the East Indies.
Unloading these sailing ships and steamers was only part of a stevedore’s day. Empty vessels were reloaded with outbound cargos requiring the same kind of planning, equipment, and strong labor. Exports included borax from the dry California desert, ores from the mines in the Southwest, and seafood harvested by local fishermen off the West Coast.
Since 1923, Metro Ports' headquarters have remained in Wilmington, California, a testament of their vision to continually meeting customer’s needs and growing with an ever-changing industry that demands innovation and a strong commitment to quality and excellence.
