PORT OF LONG BEACH — Ocean carriers bringing the greenest ships to the Port of Long Beach can earn the world’s most generous sustainable vessel financial incentives, starting July 1.
The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners in May approved changes centered around incorporating the international Environmental Ship Index or ESI into the port’s Green Ship Incentive Program, which began in 2012. A voluntary system, the ESI identifies seagoing ships exceeding the current emission standards of the International Maritime Organization.
The Green Ship Incentive Program has helped improve air quality, encouraging shipping lines to send their newest, cleanest oceangoing vessels to the POLB. More than $1.7 million in incentives were paid to participants in 2020.
Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero noted more than 50 ports worldwide and more than 8,000 vessels participate in the Environmental Ship Index.
The updated program includes three incentive levels ranging from $600 to $6,000, depending on a vessel’s ESI score. Vessels with main engines meeting International Maritime Organization’s Tier III standard, which require dedicated NOx emission control technologies, are eligible for an additional $3,000 credit, meaning a vessel could be eligible for up to $9,000 on every call.
Details: www.polb/Green-Ship-Incentive-Program-Fact-Sheet
Port Exempts Natural Gas Vehicles from Clean Truck Fund Rate
The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on May 24, voted 4 to 1 to approve an exemption from the clean truck fund rate for the cleanest natural gas-powered trucks, as a transitional step to a future when zero-emissions cargo trucks are widely available.
Natural gas trucks are lower emitters of nitrogen oxides, a building block of smog, and provide a step toward cleaner air as the port strives for the goals of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan.
In considering a rate to encourage the trucking industry to invest in cleaner vehicles and reach zero-emissions for cargo trucking by 2035, the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles have set a rate of $10 per twenty-foot equivalent unit – a standard measure for one 20-foot-long cargo container. The Ports have not yet implemented that rate, but are working on a system with a third-party vendor that will collect the rate for the ports.
Zero-emissions trucks had already been determined to be exempt from the future rate. Monday’s action by Long Beach is designed to encourage the industry to make an interim step while zero-emissions technology catches up.
The low nitrogen oxides exemption will apply to trucks picking up or dropping off loaded containers at the Port of Long Beach that use natural gas engines meeting the 0.02 grams of nitrogen oxides per brake horsepower-hour standard. The vehicles must be purchased and registered in the Port Drayage Truck Registry by Dec. 31, 2022.
Diesel emissions from trucks have been cut by as much as 97% compared to 2005 levels. Trucks remain the port’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and the second highest source of nitrogen oxides, a contributor to regional smog formation.
The Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) has established a goal of zero-emissions trucks by 2035.
Harbor Commission Approves Port of Long Beach Budget
The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners May 24, approved a $622.4 million budget for the Long Beach Harbor Department, more than half of which is dedicated to capital improvement projects.
The budget for fiscal year 2022 begins Oct. 1 and is 4.2% lower than the budget adopted last year. Operating revenue is projected to be 8.7% higher due to strong anticipated performance in containerized cargo volumes. The Port’s fiscal year 2022 budget will be considered for approval by the City Council later this year.
For the next fiscal year, the Port plans to add 11 full-time positions and transfer an all-time high of $20.6 million to the city’s Tidelands Operating Fund, which supports quality-of-life projects along Long Beach’s 7-mile coastline.
Additionally, the budget sets aside $329.1 million in an ongoing capital improvement program to modernize terminals, rail, bridges, waterways, roads and other infrastructure to support the ongoing growth of operations at the port.
Overall, the Port of Long Beach plans to invest nearly $1.6 billion in strategic projects over the next 10 years.
Details: Download the budget here.