The fourth phase of a Port of Long Beach pollution reduction program was put into action this week, Press Telegram reports.
The Pier C container shipping terminal is the newest facility to be equipped with shore power, which allows ships to plug into electricity while docked - eliminating emissions from the ship's on-board diesel engines.
"The port is now a role model for other ports around the nation - a role model that is proving that by working with its stakeholders, an agency can be a good corporate neighbor while remaining a powerful economic engine," said state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, who was part of a delegation of local officials to unveil the new docking device Monday.
The berthed ships need electricity to power a variety of operations, including lights, pumps, ventilation, refrigerated containers and communications systems.
In the past, these functions were powered by a ship's diesel auxiliary engines, generating air pollution.
Art Wong, a spokesman for the port, said there's a state deadline for another four shore-power devices that need to be installed at terminals by 2014.
In their adopted Clean Air Action Plan, commissioners at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles jointly set a goal to have more than 80 percent of cargo and cruise ships using some form of cold-ironing technology within the decade.
Idling ships burn some of the dirtiest diesel fuel available to power their lights, pumps, communications devices and other on-board equipment while docked in port.
The fuel is cheap, but diesel exhaust - loaded with small airborne particles known as diesel particulate matter - is linked to numerous health problems including cancer and asthma.
The Pier C container shipping terminal is the newest facility to be equipped with shore power, which allows ships to plug into electricity while docked - eliminating emissions from the ship's on-board diesel engines.
"The port is now a role model for other ports around the nation - a role model that is proving that by working with its stakeholders, an agency can be a good corporate neighbor while remaining a powerful economic engine," said state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, who was part of a delegation of local officials to unveil the new docking device Monday.
The berthed ships need electricity to power a variety of operations, including lights, pumps, ventilation, refrigerated containers and communications systems.
In the past, these functions were powered by a ship's diesel auxiliary engines, generating air pollution.
Art Wong, a spokesman for the port, said there's a state deadline for another four shore-power devices that need to be installed at terminals by 2014.
In their adopted Clean Air Action Plan, commissioners at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles jointly set a goal to have more than 80 percent of cargo and cruise ships using some form of cold-ironing technology within the decade.
Idling ships burn some of the dirtiest diesel fuel available to power their lights, pumps, communications devices and other on-board equipment while docked in port.
The fuel is cheap, but diesel exhaust - loaded with small airborne particles known as diesel particulate matter - is linked to numerous health problems including cancer and asthma.