In a bid to invest in capital improvements, as well as other developments at the port, the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved an US$829 million budget for the Port of Long Beach over the next fiscal year, according to World Maritime News.
The Port of Long Beach recently held its ‘Pulse of the Ports’ conference, attended by more than 600 people, in which the importance of efficient cargo-handling was discussed, as well as the need for more communication and collaboration.
Read a feature article on port and shipping collaboration
Doug Drummond, President of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, said: “Our goal is to build upon the success of the Port of Long Beach by attracting new trade, and with that, new jobs, to Long Beach and the region.
”We are moving forward with important improvements that will help this community, by building a greener, more efficient Port of Long Beach.”
Read a Technical Paper on environmental innovation at the Port of Long Beach
To compliment its plan for greater efficiency, the port recently pledged to brainstorm ideas for solving congestion issues at the port, in collaboration with the Port of Los Angeles.
Dr. Noel Hacegaba, Chief Commercial Officer at the Port of Long Beach, has published a paper with PTI, tackling the issue of congestion, proposing his ‘thinking outside the docks’ initiative for quelling container blockages.
According to import and export data specialists Zepol, US ports took around 2.1 million TEU in Q1, 2015.
Congestion has been an ongoing issue at many US ports, with the recent strike action at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach contributing to the slowdown in trade.
The proposed upgrades for the Port of Long Beach may be able to quell congestion and return trading activities to normal.