Port Briefs: POLB Cargo Dips in July, Olvera Announces POLB Goals, POLA Will Test Pilot Wave-Power Project and POLB Awards College Scholarships

Cargo Volume Dips in July at Port of Long Beach

Trade dipped at the Port of Long Beach in July.  The port said this is due to adjusted trade routes, full warehouses and a shift in consumer spending to travel, entertainment and other experiences.

Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 578,249 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last month, down 26.4% from July 2022, which was the port’s busiest July on record. Imports declined 27.9% to 271,086 TEUs, while exports decreased 17.6% to 90,134 TEUs. Empty containers moving through the port were down 27.7% to 217,030 TEUs.

The Port has moved 4,310,925 TEUs during the first seven months of 2023, down 25.6% from the same period last year. Cargo flows are now closer to pre-pandemic levels, when the Port of Long Beach moved 4.3 million TEUs through the first seven months of 2019.

Olvera Announces Goals for Port of Long Beach

Bobby Olvera Jr. began his term as Harbor Commission President Aug. 14 by accepting the gavel and announcing his goals to increase community engagement and connect industry partners with local schools for the year ahead at the Port of Long Beach.

Olvera, a fifth-generation longshore worker serving as international vice president (Mainland) of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, said he intends to strengthen the port’s ties to nearby neighborhoods most impacted by port operations, particularly those in West Long Beach and in North Long Beach. He succeeds Harbor Commissioner Sharon L. Weissman, who served as the Board’s president for the past 12 months.

“Some of the most important work we do involves community engagement and encouraging students to participate in our education and workforce programs,” said Olvera, who was appointed to the Board in 2020. “I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Harbor Commission and Port staff to build the workforce of tomorrow and secure our role as the premier gateway for trans-Pacific trade.”

As head of the board that sets policy for the port, Olvera said he also wants to increase the board’s support of the port’s education outreach programs such as the Academy of Global Logistics at Cabrillo High School in West Long Beach and the ACE Academy at Jordan High School in North Long Beach.

Additionally, Olvera said he plans to work with industry partners to donate new tools and equipment for shop classes at local high schools. 

Ocean Waves to Generate Power at the Port of Los Angeles 

A Stockholm-based startup will soon test the waters of an untapped source of clean energy at the Port of Los Angeles in California’s San Pedro Bay.

Eco Wave Power, which has pioneered wave-power installations in Israel and Gibraltar, unveiled plans this year for a pilot wave-power project that will, in coming months, extract power from ocean waves at the AltaSea campus, within the Port of Los Angeles, to generate electricity. The pilot will be Eco Wave’s first in the United States.

Details: https://tinyurl.com/ocean-Wave-Power 

Port Awards $220,000 in College Scholarships

LONG BEACH — The Port of Long Beach Aug. 3 announced $219,500 in scholarships for 154 local college and high school students to assist in their pursuit of higher education degrees in port-related fields from engineering to international business.

The students receiving the scholarships were recognized at the port’s “Celebrating Education” event on Aug. 2. The event also honored the 2023 class of summer high school interns, the first class after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Celebrating Education event brings together students, educators, public officials and business leaders to highlight the port’s education outreach programs and recognize the accomplishments of students involved. 

This year’s scholarships went to students from local high schools, Long Beach City College and Cal State Long Beach. This fiscal year’s budget for scholarships was $250,000, up from the previous year’s $200,000.