WEST COAST PORTS PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY
all of our e¨orts here and beyond to help advance our goals for cleaner marine fuels for oceangoing vessels, improve eciencies for the global movement of goods, and to achieve a carbon-neutral future,” he adds. Given that the flow of air and water cannot be contained within impenetrable boundaries, the agreements speak to the need for collaboration in ports’ environmental e¨orts. “No single port or organization can tackle the challenge of decarbonizing the supply chain alone, no matter how innovative their technology or robust their e¨orts,” said Gene Seorka, executive director, Port of Los Angeles, in remarks accompanying the LA- Singapore agreement. “The establishment of this green shipping corridor between the San Pedro Bay Port Complex and Singapore will prove to be a living, breathing testament to the power of global collaboration,” he added. The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports comprise the San Pedro Bay Port Complex, which handles more containers per ship call than any other port complex in the world. The California ports’ latest agreements add to a legacy of collaboration among U.S. and foreign ports. The long history of cooperation between the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Yokohama dates to a trade agreement signed in 1969 to strengthen trade routes between the two ports. Additionally, the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Tokyo formalized a Sister Port relationship in 1987.
The Port of Los Angeles, the busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere, and the Port of Long Beach have taken yet another step in their national and international leadership of sustainability e¨orts. The ports’ latest initiative is to collaborate on environmental issues with the Port of Tokyo and the Port of Yokohama. Agreements to that end were signed by California port ocials during the 2023 California Japan Clean Energy Trade Mission in March. “California and Japan’s port partnership is a world- leading collaboration and a critical step toward achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions,” says California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis. The ports of Tokyo and Yokohama also agreed to establish a green shipping corridor partnership with the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports in the coming year, an initiative aimed at reducing emissions along their respective trade routes and promoting low- and zero-carbon ships and fuels. The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports already have established green shipping corridor partnerships with the ports of Shanghai and Singapore, announced in 2022 and April 2023, respectively. All these e¨orts have the support of C40 Cities, a global network of mayors working collaboratively to address climate issues. “Curbing greenhouse gases from international shipping is essential to fight global warming,” says Mario Cordero, executive director, Port of Long Beach. “Creating this green corridor with our partner ports and C40 Cities is part of our strategy to coalesce
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