Port of Long Beach and Port NOLA secure federal grants

Last week, officials declared that two companies at the Port of Long Beach secured a combined US$43.9 million in federal grants from the Department of Transportation, the Long Beach Post reported.

The Long Beach Container Terminal, one of the nation’s busiest container terminals, will receive US$34.8 million to replace 149 diesel- and gas-powered trucks and six shuttle buses with zero-emission technologies and install 155 electric charging units. The project will improve overall efficiency at the container terminal by minimizing truck idling and gate congestion while addressing worker safety, climate change and sustainability.

Furthermore, WattEV will receive US$9.1 million to purchase 40 Class 8 battery-electric trucks at the Port of Long Beach. The project will make heavy-duty, zero-emissions truck technology more accessible, affordable and available to independent owner-operators, shippers, and carriers in support of a new generation of clean, short-haul trucking.

These grants stem from the Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, targeting emission reduction initiatives at ports nationwide.

In March, Port of Long Beach saw 8.3% TEU growth, with imports up 8.4%, exports down 21.3%, and empty containers rising 28.9%.

In January, Mario Cordero, CEO of the Port of Long Beach, pledged to make the port one of the first zero-emissions ports in the world. As WorldCargo News reported, he confirmed that construction of the port’s Pier B on-dock Rail Support Facility would start this year. It will double the existing yard to 171 acres and triple the port’s capacity to handle containers by rail up to 4.7M TEU a year.

The facility, which will cost an estimated US$1.57B to develop, will also contribute to moving cargo through the port quicker while cutting emissions. Cordero also believes the new rail terminal will make the port more competitive. The Rail Support facility is scheduled to be completed by 2032.

US$7.1 million for Port NOLA

The Port of New Orleans last week announced that it has been awarded US$7,117,567 from the Federal Highway Administration’s Reducing Truck Emissions at Port Facilities (RTEPF) Grant program which is funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Port NOLA along with its valued partners will use the federal funding for sustainable transportation and infrastructure to reduce truck congestion and emissions at Port terminals, Ports America Louisiana, and New Orleans Terminal, LLC.

Seven electric terminal tractors and associated charging infrastructure will be installed at both Port NOLA terminal operators, Ports America Louisiana, and New Orleans Terminal, LLC.

Additionally, the funding will provide $200,000 in sub-awards for Port NOLA’s partners at Nunez Community College and the Urban League of Louisiana for workforce development and educational opportunities for future technicians to work on the upcoming technologies.

Port NOLA recorded 20,500 container moves by barge in the calendar year 2023, marking the highest volume since the service’s inception in 2016 with the Port of Greater Baton Rouge and Ingram Marine Group.