Member Spotlights

PMSA members are investing billions of dollars in the latest technologies to stay well above federal and international environmental standards:

APL, a shipping line that serves California and Washington ports, is using much cleaner diesel to power its ships’ generators.  This change cuts particulate emissions from APL ships sitting in port by roughly 3.5 tons a year—a 75 percent reduction.

Evergreen Group’s leadership believes that ship owners have a duty to minimize the impact of their operations on the global environment. The company is using new technology in its shipbuilding to meet or surpass the strictest global environmental standards.  Evergreen received the first ever Los Angeles/Long Beach Award for Environmental Excellence.  The technology it incorporates in vessel upgrades and new shipbuilding design includes:

• Low nitrogen oxide (NOx) technology in main engines and generators
• Electric-powered vessel equipment
• Low sulfur fuel-burning capability
• Electrical plug-in for ships that call on ports with electrified berths

Foss makes safeguarding the environment an important part of its mission.  Foss belongs to the SmartWay Transport Partnership, a voluntary collaboration between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the freight industry to increase energy efficiency and significantly reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution.

The SmartWay Transport Partnership aims to achieve fuel savings of up to 6.3 billion gallons of fuel per year. It brings together major freight shippers, trucking companies, railroads, logistics companies and others to pursue mutually beneficial efficiencies that result in emissions reductions and other environmental improvements.

Foss also built the world’s first true hybrid tug boat. The tug received the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Award of Excellence for achieving significant reductions in fuel consumption and emissions. In May 2009, Foss received the Port of Seattle's and Propeller Club's Marine Environmental Business of the Year Award.

Foss will soon add another pioneering vessel to its Southern California fleet with the help of an air quality grant obtained by the Port of Long Beach. 

Building on the success of Foss' Carolyn Dorothy hybrid tug, which was launched into service at the Port of Long Beach in 2009, Foss will retrofit an existing tug with hybrid technology for service in San Pedro Bay, thanks to a $1 million grant from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to the Port. The project will be implemented through a partnership between Foss, the Port of Long Beach, and the Port of Los Angeles.

The goal is to achieve significant reductions in pollution emissions while enhancing fuel efficiency and operational capabilities. Projected annual emissions reductions per year include:

· More than 1.7 tons of diesel particulate matter

· More than 53 tons of oxides of nitrogen

· More than 1.2 tons of reactive organic gases

· More than 1,340 tons of carbon dioxide

In addition, more than 100,000 gallons of diesel fuel will be saved each year.

Hapag-Lloyd has made ensuring sustained environmental protection a keynote of its corporate philosophy for many years. Hapag-Lloyd’s ecological approach was certified in accordance with ISO 14001 by Germanischer Lloyd.

As a member of the World Shipping Council (WSC), the shipping line supports the U.S. proposal to revise Marpol Annex VI to progressively reduce sulfur oxide emissions from the current 4.5% to 0.5% by 2020.

Hapag-Lloyd also deploys modern vessels, and will have incorporated engines with economical electronic injection and valve control into its fleet by 2010. This advanced technology considerably reduces pollutant emissions and more than meets the standards (MARPOL Annex VI) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Hapag-Lloyd was one of the first shipping lines to complete the switch to underwater paints free of tributyl tin (TBT), receiving TBT-free certificates for its entire ship fleet. A trailblazer in this area, Hapag-Lloyd increasingly uses underwater biocide-free silicon coatings that reduce ships’ fuel consumption by six percent.

Hapag-Lloyd also advocates slower ship speeds, which radically lessen emissions and fuel consumption. A reduction of only a few knots cuts fuel consumption by up to 50%.

Hapag-Lloyd supports international standards to reduce vessel emissions worldwide. It will continue to voluntarily use low-sulfur diesel for vessels’ generators within the 24-mile zone off the California coast line and in California ports.

Hapag-Lloyd has a refrigerated container fleet of 65,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU). These state-of-the-art units use energy optimally and, thanks to their excellent insulation, have a low heat emission.  Average consumption has been reduced to 3.5 kilo watts per hour.

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Horizon Lines emphasizes environmental excellence through conservation techniques, waste stream management, system upgrades and voluntary compliance. The company’s environmental policies extend above and beyond the current industry standards.

Examples of Horizon Lines' environmental commitment include:

• Tasking each Horizon associate with fully complying with all international (MARPOL) and U.S. environmental laws and regulations.
• Reducing fuel consumption though plant efficiency improvements and by optimizing steam ship fuel rates.
• Upgrading boiler control automation to reduce fuel oil consumption and emissions.
• Completing the switch to underwater hull coatings that are free of TBT’s (tributyl tin).
• Purchasing residual fuels with less than 2.5% sulfur content for diesel and steam plants.
• Voluntarily using ultra low-sulfur fuels in all generators while transiting and operating in California waters.
• Reducing fleet fuel consumption by 2% through the Edge process.
• Adoption of an environmental third-party independent audit program to enhance mariner compliance and education.
• Modernizing the fleet to utilize the best technologies available to reduce sulfur oxide (Sox), NOx and particulate matter emission.
• Investing in Hunter Class (D8) Vessels, which are outfitted with the latest technologies for enhanced engine performance, reduced fuel and lube oil consumption and reduced exhaust emissions.
• Introducing the latest weather routing technology that enables the reduction of engine loadings, fuel consumption and emissions.
• Monitoring and participating in sea-ballast water transfer programs and limiting the need to transfer ballast in port.
• Testing the latest technologies for treatment against the incubation of invasive species in ballast water.
• Utilization of biodegradable oils in selected deck hydraulic equipment.
• Upgrading shipboard oily water treatment systems to allow for a three-stage processing arrangement, which results in an effluent oil content of significantly less than the allowable 15 ppm.
• Receiving the 2007 Chamber of Shipping of America Awards for Environmental Excellence for 13 vessels.

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Maersk/APM Terminals are committed to working on multiple levels to reduce the environmental impact of their international shipping activities, including:

• NOx Emission Reductions: In cooperation with the engine manufacturer MAN B&W, Maersk developed a new type of slide fuel injection valve that cuts nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by up to 26 percent. Other recent initiatives include the adoption of common rail technology and electronically controlled engines, which further reduce NOx emissions through optimal combustion. Maersk is continuing to test ways of reducing NOx emissions with initiatives such as catalytic converters.
• SOx Emission Reductions: Maersk achieved a 95 percent reduction in sulfur oxide (SOx) after switching to low-sulfur distillate fuel on the main and auxiliary engines of its vessels.
• Terminal Emission Reductions: Maersk Line constantly seeks to reduce terminal emissions through its associated terminal operating company, APM Terminals.
• In the Port of Los Angeles, APM Terminals’ on-dock rail program eliminates 8,000 truck trips a week. Terminal equipment already meets - or exceeds - air quality standards set for implementation in 2010. In addition, APM Terminals greatly reduced truck idling with a new gate design and technologies that improve the flow of trucks through the terminal.
• The policy to “replace, not retrofit” has enabled APM Terminals to phase out old terminal vehicles and replace them with environmentally friendly engines.

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Matson’s philosophy is to go beyond environmental compliance in virtually all of its business activities.  Matson is a recipient of the prestigious U.S. Coast Guard’s Benkert Award for Environmental Excellence. The following are some of Matson’s “green” initiatives:

• Matson’s newest vessels have modern, fuel-efficient diesel engines, and include state-of-the-art air emissions reduction technology including slide valves, fuel oil homogenizers, and alpha lubricators.
• Matson’s three C-9 vessels have high-efficiency turbo chargers on six ship service diesel generators (SSDGs). Matson also replaced one SSDG on each vessel with a more fuel-efficient model equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology, which reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by at least 90%.
• In 2006, Matson and SSAT signed the first green lease with the Port of Long Beach to significantly reduce air emissions from vessels and terminal handling equipment.
• Design of the shoreside infrastructure required to cold iron vessels is currently underway.
• Low-sulfur fuel is burned in generators while at dock or within 24 nautical miles (nm) of the California coast.
• To comply with the Port of Long Beach’s voluntary speed reduction program, Matson retrofitted the main propulsion boilers on three steamships with internal mix atomizers.
• The MV RJ Pfeiffer participated in a West Coast Ballast Demonstration Project.
• Matson installed Ecochlor’s chlorine dioxide ballast treatment system on the ITB Moku Pahu.
• Matson installed a Marinfloc AB Emulsion Breaking Bilge Water Cleaning System on MV Maunalei in 2006. The unit performed so well that Marinfloc units are being installed throughout the fleet. A tamper-proof monitoring system records and stores discharge and GPS data to provide verification for Oil Record Book entries.
• Matson prohibits any discharges through a vessel’s oil/water separator or operation of incinerators while a vessel is within 50 miles of land. This is known as the Matson Environmental Protection Zone.
• Matson has a zero discharge policy in which no solid waste, except for food scraps, is discharged overboard. Instead, waste materials are segregated in a special “green container.”
• One of the world's leading container transport and logistics service providers, Matson recently demonstrated its proactive stance on reducing cargo truck emissions by voluntarily switching to cleaner trucks in Long Beach.

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Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) is committed to strengthening environmental management globally throughout the company. Accomplishments include:

• Achieving ISO 14001 certification for environmental management systems at 76 NYK global sites.
• Becoming the first Japanese shipping company included in the World Economic Forum’s Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list.
• Being selected for the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
• Investing $22 million in shoreside electric power technology, allowing 38 container vessels to virtually eliminate emissions by turning off auxiliary engines while at berth.
• Reducing ship emissions by testing or utilizing fuel pre-treatment and additives, water emulsified fuel, electronically controlled engines and slide valves, and developing and testing exhaust gas filters.
• Voluntarily burning low-sulfur fuel in generators at berth in southern California ports, prior to state regulatory requirements.
• Reducing CO2 emissions by 40 percent for every ton of cargo transported during FY 1990 through FY 2005.
• Joining the executive committee of the CO2 Diet Declaration, a voluntary initiative to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions.

NYK became a founding member of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation (CRT) alongside other retail and trucking industry partners. CRT is a private sector effort to introduce clean truck technology into the harbor drayage trucking industry at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. More information about CRT and how to participate in this vital initiative is available at www.responsibletrans.org, via email at info@responsibletrans.org or by calling 916-880-3008.

At the Port of Los Angeles, Yusen Terminals, Inc. (YTI), a wholly-owned NYK subsidiary, is also working to reduce emissions, including:

• Transitioning to ultra low-sulfur diesel fuel for all terminal diesel equipment.
• Deploying two liquefied nitrogen gas (LNG) yard tractors and making them available for comprehensive environmental and performance testing.
• Increasing the number of in and out gates to minimize truck idling.
• Testing electric pickup trucks.
• Retrofitting buildings with energy-efficient technologies.

The government of Los Angeles has recognized YTI for its environmental leadership. The company was presented a City of Los Angeles Resolution signed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and all members of the City Council.  The resolution commended YTI for its re-certification by the International Standards Organization for facilities and organizations that implemented and maintained environmental management systems to continue environmental improvement. YTI is the first container terminal at the Port of Los Angeles to have achieved this certification.

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 NYK efforts to improve and protect water quality include:

• Developing and implementing a Bilge Treatment System that was later adopted as an international guideline by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
• Participating with environmental research leaders in studies on marine water treatment systems and hull fouling.
• Conducting internal research and development of devices and management systems to eliminate harmful marine organisms from ballast water.
• Reducing the risk of water contamination from cargo spills and paint chemicals through the development, patenting and use of anti-corrosive steel plates for cargo tank bottoms.

In partnership with Earthwatch Institute’s Japanese office, the NYK Nature Fellowship project sends NYK Group staff and students studying in Japan to overseas marine environmental research sites. Research projects have included:

• Studying marine mammals of Monterey Bay, California.
• Snorkeling for science in the Bahamian Reef Survey.
• Collecting data at sea to assist scientists in protecting dolphins in the AlboranSea, the westernmost part of the Mediterranean Sea.
• Helping researchers track the habits of whales in Laguna San Ignacio, Mexico.

More information can be found in the Social Contribution Activities section of NYK’s website or its Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2008 available at www.nykline.com.

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OOCL, one of the world's leading container transport and logistics service providers, voluntarily switched to cleaner trucks in Long Beach to reduce cargo truck emissions.

OOCL is in 100 percent compliance with the Port of Long Beach’s Green Flag Voluntary Vessel Speed Reduction Program.  This voluntary initiative to improve air quality in Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors began in 2005, rewarding shipping lines with at least a 90 percent compliance rate with lower docking fees.  Vessels must travel at or below 12 knots within 20 miles of the California coast to be in compliance – a practice that can dramatically reduce air emissions and improve air quality. OOCL also donated its clean air rebates—earned through this program—to community groups in Long Beach.

OOCL’s vessels achieved the top mark of 100 percent compliance—18 percent above the average for all vessels, including container ships, tankers and cruise liners at the Port of Long Beach. Impressively, OOCL’s compliance rate was based on 121 vessels entering and departing the Port of Long Beach – the largest number of vessels in fleet with a score of 100 percent.

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Ports America is the largest independent port terminal operator in North America, providing terminal management, stevedoring services and portside automotive processing services. Ports America operates at 97 terminals in the U.S. and Mexico, handling containers, cargo and cruise ship passengers and luggage.

Ports America was an early adopter of alternative fuel terminal equipment. In 2000, the company saw the Air Quality and Management District (AQMD)-sponsored Carl Moyer Program as an opportunity to address business and environmental concerns and go beyond the regulatory mandates of the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

There was a major obstacle in the testing of the compressed natural gas (CNG) machines, however: There were no off-road fueling stations or infrastructure support. CNG and LNG (liquefied natural gas) need fueling stations with special lines, and one station can cost more than a million dollars.  Ports America arranged access to a compressor for on-terminal usage. Today, Total Terminals International (TTI) and Ports America are testing Capacity of Texas’ TJ9000 CNG off-road/on-road 242,000-pound GCW container yard hostler machines that run on CNG, the first such machine on the U.S. West Coast.

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