The Port of Oakland approved a 13-year lease for a firm that moves loaded import containers away from Oakland's docks, speeding cargo flow and relieving congestion at the port, officials said Monday.

The agreement keeps Shippers Transport Express on 32 acres at the port's Seaport Logistics Complex through 2032. The company transports loaded containers from Oakland's largest marine terminal to a less-crowded pickup point nearby. The service is vital for speeding import cargo to final destinations in the United States, port officials said.

"Shippers Transport Express hauls 400 loaded import containers off the terminal every night," Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll said in a prepared statement. "That frees up space at the terminal for additional cargo and makes it easy to collect those containers for delivery."

Shippers Transport Express moves import containers away from a terminal where 25 ships a week load and unload cargo. It parks the boxes on chassis a mile away so truckers can pick them up quickly, day or night, officials said. The program speeds transaction time for truckers, reduces crowding at the terminal, and accelerates delivery of import containers to cargo owners, officials also said.