OOCL Honored For Community Partnerships in Long Beach
OOCL was officially recognized by the Port of Long Beach Harbor Commission on February 4, 2008, for recent donations to parks and educational causes in Long Beach.
In January, OOCL donated US$100,000 to the Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine for the development of the city's first universally accessible playground. The playground at El Dorado Park, inspired by an organization called Shane's Inspiration, aims to bring disabled children and their able-bodied peers together in an integrated play environment.
The company also gave US$40,000 to the Long Beach Education Foundation, to be divided between the Elizabeth Hudson K-8 Academy for its middle-school computer lab and Poly High School's Pac Rim language laboratory.
"OOCL is a great corporate citizen," said Mayor Bob Foster, who attended the Commission meeting. "I wanted to come here personally and let you know how much we respect this company and how much we appreciate its being a good corporate citizen. This is what it means to be a part of the community, this is what it means to be involved, and this is what it means to work for the betterment of this entire city."
OOCL's donations are from savings awarded to the shipping line on dockage fees for its exceptional compliance with the Port's "Green Flag" environmental program. The voluntary program asks vessel operators to slow down their speeds within 20 miles of Long Beach Harbor to improve air quality. OOCL was the top ocean carrier in the Green Flag program in 2006, with 100 percent compliance, the highest of the Port's major shipping lines.
"OOCL has always been a strong environmental partner in our Green Port programs, and with these gifts it has shown an impressive commitment to the Long Beach community as well," said Mario Cordero, president of the Board of Harbor Commissioners.
Art Merrick, president of OOCL's wholly-owned subsidiary, Long Beach Container Terminals Inc (LBCTI), Anthony Otto, vice president of LBCTI, and Paul Connolly, service centre director of OOCL (USA) Inc, attended the Commission meeting.
Click on the link to watch the full video of the event:
http://longbeach.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view%20id=38
(Click on Video link of Recognition of OOCL)