Pacific Maritime Association

These goals are in line with SB 32, an extension of California's landmark 2006 climate change legislation. The updated law, which was signed in September 2016, seeks to reduce greenhouse gas levels to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. Southern California has been espe- cially successful in reducing port emis- sions. The most recent results of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan – released in November 2016 – show enormous strides in reducing harmful emissions. Since 2005, the two ports have seen an 85 percent reduction in diesel particulate matter, a reduction of 51 percent in nitrogen oxides, and a whopping 97 percent reduction in sulfur oxides, according to the ports' Clean Air Action Plan Update. The update also reported overwhelming partici- pation in the Vessel Speed Reduction Program, which rewards carriers for slowing vessel speeds. More than 80 percent of shipping lines slowed their speeds within 40 nautical miles of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, aiding the ports in their goals to improve air quality. A green terminal In June 2016, work started on the groundbreaking $26 million Pasha Green Omni Terminal Demonstration Project at the Port of Los Angeles. When com- plete, the marine terminal is expected to be the world's first to operate purely on renewable resources. Work started with construction of the micro- grid, which will generate solar power and have extensive battery storage to charge a fleet of clean energy vehicles and cargo-handling equipment. The terminal will use zero-emission electric yard tractors, high-tonnage electric forklifts, electric on-road drayage trucks and an electric top handler. Port officials say the terminal will operate as a "working laboratory" for advancing zero and near-zero emis- sions technologies, with emissions reductions from the new terminal expected to equal taking more than 14,000 cars off the road every day. Tracking Emissions The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in 2016 installed $1 million in tracking systems to measure emissions from a fleet of newly retrofitted Maersk container ships. Over the next three years, the state-of-the-art technology will track vessel emissions at sea and at berth in real time, gauging how variables such as speed or weather impact fuel consumption. These measurements will feed the next round of efforts to reduce the environmental impact of vessels calling in Southern California. We brake for whales When ships reduce their speeds, it does more than help cut air pollution – it may also protect whales from being injured in collisions with vessels. In 2016, 10 shipping companies signed on for another speed reduction program that provides incentives for thousands of ships to slow their speeds as they pass through the Santa Barbara Channel on the way to Southern California ports. This program reduced nitrogen oxides by 27 tons, and greenhouse gases by more than 1,000 metric tons. The program also allowed crew members to take photos and create maps of whale sightings, including endangered and threatened species such as blue, humpback and fin whales. n F ollowing significant reduc- tions in emissions over the last decade, port authorities and maritime companies are making a renewed push to make ships, yard equipment and other vehicles even more energy efficient, with a goal of transi- tioning fleets of trucks and yard equipment to zero or near-zero emissions. 23 P A C I F I C M A R I T I M E A S S O C I A T I O N A blue whale goes down for a dive in the Santa Barbara Channel, as an NYK vessel passes in the distance (story at right). The Environment T H E Y E A R I N R E V I E W Clean Air Gains in Los Angeles and Long Beach Slowing Ships for Cleaner Air Nitrogen Oxides 51 % Down 97 % Down Sulfur Oxides *Compared to 2005 Levels Diesel Particulate Matter 85 % Down * More than 80 percent of ships voluntarily slowed speeds within 40 nautical miles of the ports to help achieve significant emissions reductions. SOURCE: San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan – November 2016

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