OOCL-operated Long Beach Container Terminal Inc (LBCTI) has been awarded the first San Pedro Bay Ports Air Quality Excellence Award, announced by the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles at a luncheon on July 16 in Long Beach, California.

The recipients were companies that supported the Ports' call to action to clean the air by quickly finding innovative methods to reduce air pollution.

Three primary categories for selection were a) Leadership at the Corporate Level b) Innovative Air Quality Improvement Technologies and c) Significant Early Action.

LBCTI was lauded for its many emission reduction initiatives with container handling equipment under the “Innovative Air Quality Improvement Technologies” category.

As stated on the San Pedro Bay Ports’ website: “LBCTI has been integral in the effort to clean up the diesel-powered, heavy-duty, wharf tractors known as yard hostlers. The terminal-operating company participated in a collaborative effort to test liquefied natural gas-fueled hostlers and compare them to the diesel version. That effort produced critical insight and was completed in January 2007. Currently, LBCT is engaged in a project to test a diesel-electric hybrid hostler which could yield a more than 90 percent reduction in soot and smog-forming emissions from traditional hostlers.”

“Over the past few years, LBCTI has worked in partnership with the Port of Long Beach to implement several innovative Emission Reduction Technologies. As an example, LBCT has recently equipped a portion of its RTG fleet with Regenerative Flywheel Technology,” said Anthony Otto, President of LBCTI. 

Mr Otto said that LBCTI has just secured a grant through the Technology Advancement Program to help partially fund a 2.5 million project to retrofit some of the terminal’s RTG fleet with the first full Diesel Electric Hybrid Technology ever developed for a rubber tired gantry crane. This technology is in the process of going through CARB verification and is expected to reduce emissions by at least 80%.

“LBCTI intends to continue to be on the forefront of these efforts and looks forward to working closely with the Port of Long Beach to find innovative and business friendly emission reduction technologies which will benefit the environment while also making sound business sense for the Maritime Industry,” said Mr Otto.

Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed Orient Overseas (International) Ltd. Headquartered in Hong Kong, OOCL is one of the world's leading container transport and logistics service providers, with more than 280 offices in 58 countries. Linking Asia, Europe, North America, the Mediterranean, the Indian Subcontinent, the Middle East and Australia/New Zealand, the company offers transportation services to all major east/west trading economies of the world. OOCL is one of the leading international carriers serving China, providing a full range of logistics and transportation services throughout the country. It is also an industry leader in the use of information technology and e-commerce to manage the entire cargo process. Website: http://www.oocl.com/