San Diego port approves capital development projects

The Port of San Diego's governing board has approved a five-year capital development program that includes 11 new projects identified by the agency as high priority. Commissioners allocated $95.9 million to continue funding the 42 projects in the program -- $74.4 million for projects already designated in development program and $21.5 million for the 11 new projects. Funds for the new projects will be allocated from current cash and investments, according to the port.

The board authorized $1.5 million to begin work on providing electric power to berths at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, Cruise Ship Terminal and Broadway Pier. The move will allow the port to meet recent state regulations mandating cuts in auxiliary engine emissions from ocean going vessels.

Last December the California Air Resources Board approved the regulations requiring about 95 percent of container, passenger and refrigerated cargo ships calling at six California ports including San Diego to turn off their auxiliary engines and plug into shore-based power sources to receive their electricity or meet equivalent emission reductions through other means.

The new rule also included a complicated series of deadlines for actually reducing the auxiliary engine emissions, but a shipping line choosing to implement shore-side power for its vessels will have to eliminate half of its California-calling fleet's overall emissions by 2014, and up to 80 percent by 2020.

The San Diego commissioners have set 2014 as the deadline for the three terminal electrification project.

The commissioners also approved a second new commercial port project in the overall capital development program, providing $2 million for engineering, planning and preliminary design work on two marine terminal improvement projects. The Tenth Avenue and National City Marine Terminals are being upgraded to accommodate what the board called rowing cargo operations at the two facilities. The project also includes demolition work, paving and improvements to storage areas. 

Source: American Shipper