The Port of Long Beach in the US has received a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to introduce new measures for reducing emissions at the facility.
The $2.4m EPA grant will help Stevedoring Services of America (SSA) and Foss Maritime and Curtin Maritime to replace their existing equipment at the port with zero-emission or cleanest-available solutions.
It is set to be provided under the US Diesel Emission Reduction Act and will allow SSA to retrofit three rubber-tired gantry cranes with systems to facilitate all-electric operations.
The retrofit is expected to completely eliminate all emissions previously generated by diesel fuel consumption.
The EPA funding will also be used to retrofit four of Foss and Curtin’s tugboats with latest and cleanest engine systems.
Port of Long Beach Harbor Commission president Lou Bynum said: “Every step we take to cut air pollution is one toward our ultimate goal of being the world’s first zero-emission seaport.”
The new initiatives are expected to reduce the facility’s emissions of carbon dioxide by 15,606t, nitrogen oxide by 1,649t, carbon monoxide by 267t, diesel particulate matter by 61t and hydrocarbons by 40t following implementation.
Port of Long Beach expects to receive the new equipment by the end of 2019.
The site has received a total of $14.2m in grants from the EPA to reduce its emissions since 2005 and has subsequently been able to cut its diesel emissions by 88%.
The port’s governing board previously approved an updated Clean Air Action Plan earlier this month, which aims to support a zero-emission future, as well as protect and boost the ports’ competitive position within the global economy.
