Port of Long Beach aims to be world’s first zero-emission port

US West Coast's port of Long Beach says its “imaginative measures” will drive it to become the world’s first zero-emission seaport.

PHOTO: An aerial view of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in southern California, US. Getty Images

The Port of Long Beach plans to achieve its net-zero emissions target by implementing a wide range of measures like introducing electric trucks, on-dock rail systems and using green marine fuels.

Currently, all vessels docking at Port of Long Beach plug into shore power electricity, Port of Long Beach’s executive director Mario Cordero said at their State of Port address event last week.

Cordero says about 17% of the port’s cargo handling cranes operate on electricity, significantly higher than other ports in the US which mostly have diesel-powered cranes. He claims all cargo handling cranes in Long Beach will run on electricity within the next seven years.

Cordero asserts that to achieve net-zero, the port needs to cut emissions across all segments, including trucking, vessels and even port operations.

The Port of Long Beach has also taken measures to curb truck emissions. The port aims to replace all of its 20,000 diesel truck fleets with electric or hydrogen-powered trucks by 2035.

The Port of Long Beach also plans to spend $1.5 billion upgrading its on-dock rail infrastructure. A move to shift a chunk of container movement from trucks to rail. The focus has shifted from reducing emissions to eliminating them, Cordero said.

He thinks that methanol could play a significant role in cutting emissions in the shipping sector. Future methanol demand from container giants such as Maersk, CMA CGM and COSCO will drive fuel availability in the port, Cordero said.

In another development, President Joe Biden signed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022 last month, which included the deepening of the channel of the Port of Long Beach. The project will help lower fuel consumption as ships will manoeuvre more freely through the harbour.

By Nithin Chandran

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