The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach this week announced the winners of the 6th annual Clean Air Action Plan Air Quality Awards. The five winning companies have significantly reduced harmful emissions at their respective ports.
The award ceremony, which took place in San Pedro, near Los Angeles, honoured Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, OOCL USA, Foss Maritime, APL and Knight Transportation. The awards were separated into three categories: Air Quality Leadership at the Corporate Level, Innovative Air Quality Improvement Technologies and Innovative Operations That Improve Air Quality.
Knight Transportation was recognised for its dedication to using newer, cleaner trucks in its fleet (half of the company’s trucks at the port are 2010 models or newer) to enhance supply chain efficiency.
These winners were eligible for the award because of their position as port tenants or port-related businesses. They were judged by a panel of port staff, as well as representatives from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the California Air Resource Board and the US Environmental Protection Agency.
As well as shipping services, WWL runs a terminal at the port that handles finished vehicles.
The port of Los Angeles executive director, Geraldine Knatz, said: “The significant air quality improvements that our two ports have achieved would not be possible without the leadership, cooperation and initiative of the tenants and customers doing business here.”
Los Angeles and Long Beach are the two busiest seaports in the United States, accounting for $355 billion in trade each year. In 2012, they handled a combined 458,800 new vehicles, many of them imports from Japan.
The ports adopted the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan in 2006, the initial aim of which was to reduce health risks from air pollution (see here).
