Record Breaking Volumes for Port of Los Angeles

Fron IFW Freight and Logistics News Service
16 December 2011


The US port of Los Angeles has reported a record year for exports, buoyed by an all-time monthly high for goods shipped overseas in November, the second consecutive month of record export volumes.

LA exported 1.9 million containers in the first nine months of 2011, breaking the previous record of 1.8 million in full-year 2010.

And imports were 6.2% higher in November than in 2010.

The largest US container port said it was on course to export more than 2 million teu this year.

Exports reached the highest monthly volume in the port’s history last month, handling 195,877teu, 15% up on the previous November. And in October, the port handled 193,547teu, up 28% on October 2010.

Goods exported include raw materials, cotton and grains, as well as high-value goods, including computers, medical equipment and aerospace components.

The rise in export volumes from LA has been buoyed by the weak US dollar boosting demand for US goods, particularly in Asia. The stagnant domestic economy also has forced the country to find new income in foreign markets.

Last year, President Obama outlined a National Export Initiative, aiming to double exports through the nation’s seaports by the end of 2014 to boost the ailing domestic jobs market.

The US will focus on India, China, Brazil and other emerging markets with strong potential for growth.

Port of Los Angeles to participate in clean-ships program

The Following is a press release from the Port of Los Angeles.

(SAN PEDRO, Calif.) -- The Port of Los Angeles is working with the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) to develop incentive program strategies to participate in the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) Program starting in 2012.

ESI is an international web-based ship-rating system ports can use to promote clean ships by rewarding operators whose vessels exceed current environmental performance standards and regulations. Port staff presented an outline of the program to the Board of Harbor Commissioners last week and expects to submit recommendations for participation in the program to the Board by early 2012.

The announcement comes on the fifth anniversary of the Port's adoption of the Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), a landmark pollution reduction initiative whose measures have helped to cut harmful air emissions from port-related sources in the San Pedro Bay by as much as 76 percent. The CAAP was designed as a blueprint for charting a permanent course for the Port of Los Angeles to operate the cleanest, most environmentally sustainable port. In 2010, the Port reaffirmed its commitment to the CAAP by expanding its programs and setting more aggressive targets with near-term goals through 2014 and long-term objectives through 2023.

"The Port of Los Angeles continues to be a world leader in combating pollution," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "We've had five years of extraordinary success with the Clean Air Action Plan and now we're looking at the next generation of strategies for running the cleanest possible port and improving air quality in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California."

"The Port of Los Angeles is looking forward to being part of these international standards and setting the stage for North American ports to follow suit and reward operators for greening their fleets," said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D. and IAPH president. "As participation grows, the benefits increase for carriers and communities."

The Port of Los Angeles adopted the CAAP to help tackle harmful emissions in the South Coast Air Basin. After launching the CAAP in 2006, the Port has met or exceeded nearly all its goals for reducing air pollution from port-related sources. Ships remain the toughest challenge, as they are regulated by international convention and represent the single largest source of air pollution from port-related operations.

The ESI identifies voluntary engine, fuel and technology enhancements ships can use to exceed current environmental performance standards. The ESI targets primary pollutants, which include nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and diesel particulate matter (DPM). The program also contains a component to help reduce greenhouse gases. The index was developed by some of the world's major ports collaborating under the World Ports Climate Initiative, a project of the IAPH.

Nine European ports in the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Belgium and Italy have signed on to participate in the ESI and either have current programs or are in the process of developing programs to offer financial incentives to reward operators whose ships outperform environmental standards.

The Port of Los Angeles is America's premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovative strategic and sustainable operations that benefit the economy as well as the quality of life for the region and the nation it serves. As the leading seaport in North America in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port supports more than 830,000 regional jobs and $35 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. A proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles, the Port is self-supporting and does not receive taxpayer dollars.

Coast Guard Reccomends Changing Shipping Lanes For Blue Whales.

From the Los Angeles Times, November 1, 2011:

The U.S. Coast Guard has recommended shifting the shipping lanes in the Santa Barbara Channel to move cargo ships out of the way of whales feeding in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.

A proposal published Tuesday would narrow the lanes and move one of them north of a steep, underwater drop-off near Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands where endangered blue, fin and humpback whales have been congregating to feed on krill, saying it would “help in preserving the marine environment.”

Federal wildlife officials and environmental groups have been alarmed by the presence of whales in shipping lanes, which they worry puts the giant marine mammals at greater risk of being struck and killed by the hulking vessels that ferry goods in and out of the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex.

Four blue whales were struck and killed by vessels near the Channel Islands sanctuary in 2007, prompting authorities to start issuing notices asking large vessels to slow down when whales are in the area.

The threat of collisions also has been of growing concern outside Los Angeles Harbor, where blue whales have been gathering to feed in dense concentrations in the path of a major shipping lane.

The Coast Guard proposal also calls for establishing new shipping lanes south of the Channel Islands, where some freighters have been navigating to avoid the state's strict air pollution curbs, prompting complaints from the Navy that they were getting too close to military testing ranges.

Unbounded ship traffic, the Coast Guard says, is a safety concern and a defined route would ensure more predictability.

Environmental groups, who have petitioned the Obama administration to establish a ship speed limit through California's four national marine sanctuaries to protect whales, praised the idea to move the lanes away from feeding areas. But they expressed disappointment that the Coast Guard’s proposal did not include speed restrictions.

 --Tony Barboza

Photo: A blue whale feeding on krill outside Los Angeles Harbor in October surfaces near a shipping lane. Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times