Port of Long Beach, California, United States
The Port of Long Beach is a container port in the United States, which adjoins Port of Los Angeles. The Port of Long Beach is the premier U.S. gateway for trans-Pacific trade and a trailblazer in innovative goods movement, safety, environmental stewardship and sustainability. The Port of Long Beach is located less than two miles (3 km) southwest of Downtown Long Beach, occupies 3,200 acres (13 km2) of land with 25 miles (40 km) of waterfront in the city of Long Beach, California.
The port’s combined import and export value is nearly $100 billion per year. The seaport provides jobs, generates tax revenue, and supports retail and manufacturing businesses. More than $800 million a year is spent on wholesale distribution services in the city. In the City of Los Angeles, port operations generate more than 230,000 jobs, with more than $10 billion a year going to distribution services in the city. On the state level, the Port of Long Beach provides about 370,000 jobs and generates close to $5.6 billion a year in state and local tax revenues
The port is served by the Alameda Corridor through which intermodal railroad cars go north to Los Angeles. As the second-busiest container seaport in the United States, the Port handles trade valued at $170 billion annually and supports 2.6 million jobs across the nation, more than 575,000 in Southern California, and more than 50,000 jobs – or 1 in 5 – in Long Beach.
The Port of Long Beach is one of the few U.S. ports that can welcome today’s largest vessels, serving 175 shipping lines with connections to 217 seaports around the world. Goods moving through the Port of Long Beach originate in or are destined for every congressional district in the United States. In 2019, the Port handled more than 7.6 million container units, achieving the second-best year in its history.
Widely concerned because of supply chain issues, the Port continues to take significant steps toward the efficient movement of goods, including: ongoing collaboration with marine terminals to expand hours of operation; creating temporary staging areas for full containers; and encouraging truck drivers to drop off export containers when picking up an import.
The Port of Long Beach is on the verge of processing more than 9 million cargo containers by the end of 2021 as efforts continue to make room for imports and deliver holiday goods as quickly as possible. Dockworkers and terminal operators have moved more than 8.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units through November, already surpassing the current annual record of 8.1 million TEUs, set in 2020.
The Port is on track for a green future, creating the world’s most modern, efficient and sustainable seaport. As part of an industry-leading $4 billion capital improvement program this decade, the Port is building some of the most modern, efficient and sustainable marine facilities in the world to accommodate bigger and bigger ships, while generating thousands of new jobs.
History
The San Pedro Breakwater was started in 1899 and over time was expanded to protect the current site of the Port of Long Beach. The Port of Long Beach was founded on 800 acres (3.2 km2) of mudflats on June 24, 1911, at the mouth of the Los Angeles River. In 1917, the first Board of Harbor Commissioners was formed to supervise harbor operations. Due to the booming economy, Long Beach voters approved a $5 million bond to improve the inner and outer harbor in 1924.
In 1971 Pier J expansion is complete with a 55-acre container and car import terminal, becoming Toyota’s Western distribution center. In 1972 International Transportation Service completes a 52-acre container terminal on Pier J with a 1,200-foot wharf and two gantry cranes. Maersk Line Pacific completes on Pier G a 29-acre container terminal. Port of Long Beach is the largest container terminal in America by then.
In 1979, with improved relations between the United States and China, the port sent officials to the People’s Republic of China for the first time. Less than a year later, the China Ocean Shipping Co. (COSCO) inaugurated international shipping and designated Long Beach as its first US port of call. Relationships were forged with other international powers, and South Korea’s Hanjin Shipping opened a 57-acre (230,000 m2) container terminal on Pier C of the port in 1991. Following this, COSCO, secured business with the Port of Long Beach in 1997.
From the late 1990s through 2011, the Port of Long Beach saw increased traffic and growth with the leasing of terminals. In 1997, approximately one million containers were inbound to the port. By 2005, this number had tripled to nearly 3.3 million containers. If outbound containers are included, then the number increased from 3 million containers in 1997 to nearly 6.7 million containers in 2005.
Redevelopment Project
The Middle Harbor Terminal Redevelopment Project is a 10-year construction program combining two aging shipping terminals into one of the world’s most advanced and greenest container terminals. The $1.49 billion program started construction in 2011. By 2016, the first phase was completed in the first ship was welcomed to the new facility. The second phase opened in 2017, and the entire project is due for completion in 2021. Currently, about 200 acres of the eventual 304-acre terminal is open and operating as the Long Beach Container Terminal.
At completion, Long Beach Container Terminal, also known as LBCT, will have an annual capacity of 3.3 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) – more than double the capacity of the two terminals it is replacing. And with its electric-powered cargo-handling equipment, it is one of the world’s cleanest container terminals. The modernized, 4,200-foot-long wharf will be able to welcome the world’s biggest container ships, which will plug into shoreside electricity for power at berth, shutting down their diesel engines. Equipped with 14 ship-to-shore gantry cranes, the terminal can welcome three ships at once.
The new terminal’s on-dock rail yard is designed to handle 1.1 million TEUs a year, helping to reduce truck traffic. Construction is generating 1,000 temporary jobs a year through 2021, while 14,000 permanent new jobs will be generated in Southern California by the increase in trade.
The terminal is aligned with the Port’s Green Port Policy and the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan, minimizing or eliminating environmental impacts from shipping operations. The terminal includes new environmentally friendly buildings that meet strict standards for sustainability, including energy and water conservation and the use of recycled materials.
Harbor Tours
Aboard the 90-minute narrated excursion, you will get close to operations at the second-busiest Port in the nation. See towering cranes, massive vessels, the most advanced and green terminal in the world, new infrastructure projects such as the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement, and possibly even catch a glimpse of local marine life. You will also learn about the variety of groundbreaking green programs the Port has implemented to reduce the environmental impact of operations.
Community
As a major gateway to international trade, the Port of Long Beach plays a significant role in ensuring consumer’s favorite products are available on store shelves. But its commitment to the community extends beyond goods movement. The Port of Long Beach prides itself on its culture of excellent customer service and the strong relationships it maintains with industry, community, environmental advocates and partner agencies.
The Port makes an ongoing effort to support activities and school programs and to increase understanding of Port operations through open communication with the local community. Throughout the year the Port offers family-friendly events; provides opportunities to explore the Port by boat on free summer harbor tours; sponsors events hosted by local organizations; and has speakers available to share the Port’s story.
The Port also has robust education programs to prepare students for careers in international trade and develop the workforce of tomorrow. Programs such as the Academy of Global Logistics at Cabrillo High School, the Maritime Center of Excellence at Long Beach City College and the Summer High School Internship Program help students gain job skills and expertise. The Port also offers scholarships to local high school and college students who wish to pursue maritime industry-related careers in higher education.
The Port’s Community Grants Program is aimed at lessening the environmental impact of port operations in the community. Projects include parks and open space initiatives, air filters, health care programs, bicycling and walking infrastructure and more. Public workshops are held from time to time to get community input on priorities for this program. No other U.S. seaport has voluntarily committed as much funding – over $45 million over the life of the program – for community-based environmental mitigation.
The Port is proud to be a partner in the community, continually reaching out to ensure residents can learn more about Port operations, the complexities of maritime goods movement and how the Port is improving the environment and helping the community thrive.
Educational programs
The Port of Long Beach is committed to creating and supporting programs that advance development of a skilled workforce in international trade, goods movement and related professions. In 2018, the Port became the first industry partner to join The Long Beach College Promise. The Promise serves as a bridge between Long Beach educational institutions and the international trade sector.
Strengthening the Port’s partnerships with the Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach City College and California State University, Long Beach, is key to educating students at all levels about the importance of the Port and international trade and creating a workforce pipeline to related industries, by providing learning and training opportunities for students and educators. Port programs also support tools, materials and experiences that enhance in-classroom curriculum while expanding student knowledge of international trade.
Environmental programs
The Port of Long Beach is committed to improving the environment, as demonstrated by its 20-year record of environmental protection programs. The Green Port Policy is an aggressive, comprehensive and coordinated approach to reduce the negative impacts of Port operations.
Green Port Policy
The internationally recognized Green Port Policy was adopted by the Port of Long Beach in 2005 in an effort to reduce pollution in the growing region of Los Angeles/Long Beach. The policy sets a framework for enhancing wildlife habitat, improving air and water quality, cleaning soil and undersea sediments, and creating a sustainable port culture.
The guiding principles of the Green Port Policy are to protect the community from the harmful environmental impacts of port operations, distinguish the port as a leader in environmental stewardship and compliance, promote sustainability, employ the best available technology to avoid or reduce environmental impacts, and engage and educate the community. Long Beach Harbor is recognized for protection by the California Bays and Estuaries Policy.
Clean Air Action Plan
In 2007, the Port of Long Beach continued its environmental efforts by implementing the Clean Air Action Plan, an air quality program adopted by the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. In recognition, the Clean Air Action Plan was given the most prestigious award from the American Association of Port Authorities, the Environmental Management Award, in 2007.
The Clean Air Action Plan also included the use of trucks that were deemed excessively pollutant. The port’s Harbor Commission approved a Clean Trucks Program that banned old diesel trucks by October 2008. The program, outlined in the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan, was expected to modernize the port trucking industry and slash truck-related air pollution by 80% by 2012. Diesel-powered harbor short-haul (drayage) trucks are a major source of air pollution.
Community grants program
The Community Grants Program was created in 2016 to award grants to projects that improve air quality and energy efficiency at facilities used by the public. Established by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, it is the largest voluntary effort of its kind in the nation.
Green Flag incentive program
While clean trucks were a focus, the Port of Long Beach also turned its attention to ships. The Green Flag incentive program was set up to encourage ships to slow down in order to improve air quality. The Green Flag program provides approximately $2 million a year in discounts for vessel operators who slow their ships to 12 knots (22 km/h) or less within 20 miles (32 km) of the harbor. According to the port, the Green Flag program reduced air pollution by 600 tons in 2007 and was expected to do better in 2008.
The port has donated millions of dollars to select Southern California wetlands projects, including a $50 million donation to the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach. Port of Long Beach officials looking into helping restore and revitalize the Los Cerritos Wetlands.