The Port of Long Beach is making progress toward cleaner air and reduced greenhouse gases by investing $102 million to purchase and sustain zero-emissions cargo-handling equipment, fund cleaner marine engines and plan for a zero-carbon future at terminals.
The equipment funding is part of the System-Wide Investment in Freight Transport or SWIFT, a pioneering initiative funded by the California State Transportation Agency’s port and freight infrastructure program. SWIFT is a port initiative designed to support goods movement efficiency and reduce environmental impacts on neighboring communities.
The bulk of the funding, $93.4 million, will allow tenants to acquire 65 fully zero-emissions cargo-handling equipment units along with associated charging infrastructure, as well as for harbor craft operators to replace 37 marine engines with cleaner engines or zero-emission options. Additionally, the port will invest $8.3 million in total to design zero-emissions infrastructure at SSA Terminals at Pier A and Pacific Container Terminal at Pier J.
All cargo handling equipment funded will be manually operated. Recipients will match at least 20% of the total project costs under the passthrough agreement for the grants approved by the Long Beach Harbor Commission Sept. 8.