The Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), Toks Omishakin, along with officials from the Port of Long Beach, the state, and ILWU union local sections 13, 63, and 94, gathered at the SSA Terminals Pier C facility, a joint venture between SSA Marine and Matson, to celebrate the acquisition of 15 American-made, human-operated zero-emission yard tractors, the associated charging infrastructure, and a tugboat retrofitted with a low-emission engine.
The equipment was acquired with the help of the port complex’s System-Wide Investment in Freight Transport (Swift) program.
Swift is funded by CalSTA’s historic $1.3 billion Port and Freight Infrastructure Program (PFIP), championed by Governor Gavin Newsom and approved by the state Legislature in response to pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions.
In 2023, the port received a record $383 million in PFIP grants to advance various zero-emission projects. The PFIP grant also included over $158 million to improve the complex’s rail support facilities at Pier B, which will allow more cargo to be moved from trucks to on-dock rail.
In addition to creating 22,000 jobs, the funding will drive projects that will eliminate more than 12% of all carbon dioxide emissions and more than 5% of nitrogen oxide emissions associated with port operations annually by 2028.
“Governor Newsom’s historic commitment to freight infrastructure is strengthening our supply chains and creating economic opportunities for people across the state. The progress seen at the Port of Long Beach is an extraordinary example of what can be achieved when we make strategic investments in our infrastructure,” said Omishakin.
“The Port of Long Beach is using financial incentives and leveraging grant funds to accelerate our transition to zero-emission operations. These efforts are bolstered by the PFIP program, and we thank Secretary Omishakin for CalSTA’s support of this important work, as well as the leadership of Governor Newsom and the state Legislature,” commented Frank Colonna, President of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners.
“The port of the future will be faster, more efficient, and cleaner, and it will require strong partnerships and significant financial investments. Thanks to the state’s commitment to a more sustainable supply chain and the support of partners like SSA Terminals, Matson, and the ILWU, the Port of Long Beach is accelerating its path to becoming the world’s first zero-emission port,” expressed Noel Hacegaba, Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach.
“At SSA Marine, we are committed to environmental responsibility, operational efficiency, and environmental innovation across all our operations.
We are proud to collaborate with the Port of Long Beach and the State of California in the deployment of 15 zero-emission yard tractors, and we look forward to incorporating more zero-emission cargo handling equipment at the port in the future,” said Nicolas Gauthier, President of the Global Container Division of SSA Marine.
More than $200 million in PFIP funds, channeled through Swift, are being used for human-operated zero-emission cargo handling equipment, charging infrastructure, low-emission port vessels, and onshore electrical grid expansions. The new human-operated battery electric yard tractors at Pier C were manufactured by Orange EV in Kansas City, Kansas.
These vehicles are part of the $37.8 million in grants for zero-emission cargo handling equipment at Pier C, under the Swift program. Next year, SSA Terminals is expected to add nine battery electric cargo handlers and associated infrastructure at Pier C as part of an additional $28.8 million project.
Last week, the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners authorized $58.2 million in additional SWIFT program funds for the purchase of additional human-operated zero-emission cargo handling equipment, cleaner port vessels, and a zero-emission locomotive.
The resource will allow tenants and operators to acquire 61 units of human-operated zero-emission cargo handling equipment, along with 21 charging units, deploy six zero-emission port vessels and five cleaner port vessels that replace older diesel engines, and acquire a zero-emission locomotive. The Port of Long Beach, with 21% of its cargo handling equipment being zero-emission, possesses one of the largest fleets of this kind in the country.
