Long Beach port to fete speed reduction plan honorees
The Port of Long Beach on Monday will honor 15 shipping lines for participation in a vessel speed reduction program.
The voluntary 'Green Flag' program offers symbolic flags for individual ships and discounted dockage fees to vessel operators who consistently slow ship speeds as they enter and exit the Los Angeles and Long Beach harbor. The program claims the speed reduction cuts pollution.
The program, which relies on the cooperation of vessel operators and ship captains, has been in place since 2005 as an awards-based program and several years before that as a voluntary program with no awards.
The average compliance rate for all vessels eligible for the program in 2007 rose 7 percent over the 2006 program year to 89 percent.
Also in 2007, the Long Beach-calling vessels of 146 vessel operators were at least 90 percent compliant with the program, qualifying them for the reduced dockage fees. More than 60 percent of all vessels making more than 20 calls per year at Long Beach were 100 percent compliant with the program. This represents an increase of 93 vessels in the 100 percent compliance category over the 2006 program year.
The firms scheduled to be honored Monday are those which, according to port officials, improved the most under the program guidelines, maintained a 90 percent compliance rate and made at least 68 calls to Long Beach during the 2007 program year.
The awardees are:
' Alaska Tanker, which achieved 100 percent compliance on 125 vessel trips in and out of the port.
' BP Shipping, with 91.4 percent compliance on 70 vessel trips.
' Carnival Corp., 98 percent, 310 trips.
' China Shipping Container Lines, 97.5 percent, 164 trips.
' CMA CGM, 100 percent, 68 trips.
' China Ocean Shipping Co., 99.2 percent, 255 trips.
' Hanjin Shipping, 95.6 percent, 391 trips.
' Hyundai Merchant Marine, 100 percent, 104 trips.
' 'K' Line, 99.7 percent, 344 trips.
' Mediterranean Shipping Co., 93.6 percent, 236 trips.
' Nippon Yusen Kaisha, 94.4 percent, 470 trips.
' Orient Overseas Container Line, 100 percent, 109 trips.
' Wallenius Wilhelmsen, 90 percent, 70 trips.
' Wan Hai Lines, 90 percent, 90 trips.
' Zim Integrated Shipping, 97 percent, 100 trips.
