Port Briefs: POLB Previews Zero Emissions & POLA Volumes Ease

More than 60 ships sit idle outside the Port of Los Angeles. Photo by Arturo Garcia-Ayala, 2021.

Port of Long Beach Previews Path to Zero Emissions

The Port of Long Beach and its industry partners showed Sept. 13 how one port trucking company is converting to a full zero-emissions trucking fleet three years from now, a full decade before the 2035 zero-emissions goal set by the Clean Air Action Plan.

The announcement was made at 4 Gen Logistics in the Port of Long Beach, where Electrify America will install 60 public charging stations by the end of 2023 to serve its own fleet of electric trucks, as well as other companies’ trucks. 4 Gen will also purchase 41 Volvo and 20 Kenworth electric heavy-duty trucks, with plans eventually calling for a 100-vehicle zero emissions fleet. In addition, 4 Gen’s site in Rialto will host 30 charging stations. Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, port officials, and representatives from Volvo, Kenworth, Electrify America, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the California Air Resources Board and CALSTART gathered to celebrate the company’s plans.

Mayor Robert Garcia said the changeover to cleaner trucks at the port complex will be supported by the clean truck fund rate, which is expected to generate $90 million in its first year, or $45 million each for the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles.

Port of Long Beach executive director Mario Cordero noted the progress being made by the port in the quest for zero emissions. For example, about $70 million in grant funding has been secured to support $150 million in demonstration projects that are deploying zero-emissions and near zero-emissions cargo handling equipment and trucks at Port of Long Beach terminals and on the roads of Southern California.

Details: www.polb.com/environment

Port of Los Angeles Cargo Volume Eases in August

SAN PEDRO — After record-breaking cargo volume in 2021 and the first half of 2022, the import surge at the Port of Los Angeles slowed in August. The port handled an estimated 806,000 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in August, approximately 15% less than the same period a year ago.

Watch briefing here

While official August cargo volume will be available soon on the Port’s website, Seroka offered estimates that are expected to change only slightly when final.

August 2022 loaded imports reached an estimated 404,000 TEUs compared to the previous year, a decrease of about 17%. Loaded exports reached an estimated 100,000 TEUs, a 1% increase drop compared to last August. Empty containers landed at an estimated 301,000 TEUs, an 18% decline compared to last year.

Eight months into 2022, the Port of Los Angeles has moved an estimated 7.2 million TEUs, about 1.6% down from last year’s record pace.