California ports to update Clean Air Action Plan

The Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles are looking into the possibility of approving an update to its Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), adopted in 2006, to further reduce emissions and increase sustainable shipping.

The update has been worked on for the past two years by environmental teams and aims to reduce emissions from all sources that move cargo, including zero emissions trucks and cargo handling equipment. It will also look into expanding programmes that aim to reduce air pollution from ships.

A meeting will be held on November 2 to assess the approval of the San Pedro Bay Ports CAAP 2017 update.

According to the latest annual inventories, the ports have eliminated 87% of diesel particulate matter, cut NOx by 56% and reduced SOx by 97%, and decreased greenhouse gas emissions by more than 18% since 2005 levels.

According to the ports, the results are due to collaboration with stakeholders to aggressively combat air pollution and emissions from ships, trucks, cargo handling equipment, and harbour craft that operate in and around the ports.