LONDON, 6 MAY 2020: Today SEA-LNG welcomes the Port of Long Beach, the USA’s second busiest container port, to its growing membership. The Port of Long Beach is the third North American port to join the coalition and brings SEA-LNG’s count of port members to a total of seven among the top twenty global ports; strategically placed along major trade lanes traversing Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Speaking on the addition Peter Keller, Chairman, SEA-LNG, said: “The Port of Long Beach’s leadership team is highly respected in the industry for its progressive approach to serving its stakeholders, and I am delighted that we will be working closely with them to promote LNG as a marine fuel. LNG continues to be the best option to improve living standards while minimising impacts on the environment.

“Ports are critical links in the bunker supply chain and we are excited that the Port of Long Beach has joined the coalition to drive forward our vision of a competitive global LNG value chain for a cleaner maritime shipping towards 2050.”

The Port of Long Beach is the second-busiest seaport for container traffic in the United States, handling trade valued at more than $200 billion annually. The port has made dramatic reductions to its local NOx, SOx and diesel particulate emissions since 2005. Its Green Ship Incentive Programme — established as part of the Clean Air Action Plan in collaboration with the Port of Los Angeles — offers financial incentives for ships with the newest engines or an equivalent NOx-reducing technology.

“We are known in the trans-Pacific trade for our top-notch customer service and being responsive to the needs of our business partners,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “Allying with groups like SEA-LNG is part of being ready for the market’s growing demand for LNG fuel. It also meshes with our strategic goals to strengthen competitiveness while improving environmental sustainability.”

Boosting LNG-fuelled shipping accelerates this progress. LNG boasts unrivalled emissions credentials, cutting SOx and particulate emissions to negligible amounts and reducing NOx by around 85%. It also generates significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions today, while also presenting a pathway towards decarbonisation for the shipping industry through the adoption of bio and synthetic methane.

SEA-LNG is encouraged to see ports increasing provisions and infrastructure for LNG bunkering in line with its growing use across the industry, as LNG is proven to provide strong returns on investment for ship owners across key trades.
SEA-LNG is a multi-sector industry that drives global adoption of marine LNG creating a cleaner, more efficient and competitive shipping industry by 2050. We fully believe in the benefits of LNG and have been working diligently to bring about a positive and pragmatic change — driving the widespread adoption of LNG as a leading marine fuel and helping to reduce emissions for the shipping industry.