Port wins award for reducing ship pollution

At the inaugural Sustainable Shipping magazine awards July 15 in London, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles were jointly recognized for making the "most significant contribution to the reduction and prevention of pollution to the air by ships."

Sustainable Shipping judges credited the ports for these industry-leading pollution-reduction programs for cargo ships:

- Vessel Speed Reduction, in which ships slow to 12 knots near the harbor, reducing air pollution and saving fuel. Most of the vessels calling at the Port of Long Beach participate in the system, known as the "Green Flag program."

- Low-sulfur fuels, in which ships switch to cleaner fuels near the harbor, significantly reducing emissions of smog-forming compounds and diesel particulates. The ports pay the differential cost between the regular fuel and the cleaner fuel.

- Shore power for ships at berth, where the vessels can plug in and shut down their diesel engines. At specially equipped docks in both ports, power for ship lights, communications, pumps, etc. comes from landside power generators. Accounting for power plant emissions, one Long Beach terminal with shore power for oil tankers will
reduce more than 30 tons of air pollution per year.

The inaugural Sustainable Shipping Awards honored a cross-section of the shipping industry to recognize efforts of business and organization leaders who are making pioneering steps toward environmental responsibility.

Source: Transport weekly