Port of Los Angeles Goes Green

Published Jun 24, 2004 12:01 AM by The Maritime Executive

The Port of LA has opened the first green container terminal in the world as part of its $50 million settlement of a lawsuit over air pollution.

The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Clean Air Coalition brought a lawsuit against the Port of Los Angeles on behalf of the residences of San Pedro, which have the highest rates of respiratory illnesses and cancer in the region.

The Alternative Maritime Power (AMP) terminal leased by China Shipping Line, which has agreed to retrofit 11 of its Los Angeles bound ships, will employ the port's electric power system.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which are among the world's largest ports, generate more than 4,000 tons of smog, making them the largest source of pollution in Southern California.

Ships that use the port's electric power system, instead of idling their diesel engines at dockside, will reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by an amount equivalent to 69,000 diesel truck miles.

In the settlement approved by an L.A. judge, the city of Los Angeles agreed to pay $20 million towards clean air initiatives at the port, $20 million for community beautification, and $10 million in additional clean air programs.