The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners authorized the use of $58.2 million to purchase “zero-emission” cargo handling equipment and harbor craft, officials announced Wednesday.
The money will allow tenants and operators to purchase 61 units of electric-powered, human-operated cargo-handling equipment, along with 21 chargers. Additionally, it will allow the port to deploy six zero-emission and five cleaner harbor craft that displace older diesel engines, and advance one zero-emission locomotive.
“Expanding our clean technology portfolio is critical to the future of goods movement and to the health of the communities around us,” Port of Long Beach CEO Noel Hacegaba said in a statement. “We are not waiting for the future to arrive, we are shaping it and leading the way by deploying the latest zero-emission equipment to make a difference today.”
The funding comes from California’s State Transportation Agency for System-Wide Investment in Freight Transport. The initiative is designed to lead the deployment of the cleanest technologies, support goods movement efficiency and reduce environmental impacts on neighboring communities.
“The Port of Long Beach continues to invest in zero-emission infrastructure and deploy a suite of incentives for early adopters of these technologies,” Harbor Commission President Frank Colonna said in a statement.
“This latest round of funding builds on the Port’s broader SWIFT program, which is accelerating the transition to zero-emission operations while improving the reliability and efficiency of cargo movement,” Colonna added.