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 has a long history of early adoption of alternative-fuel terminal equipment. In 2000, the company saw the 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).

However, there was a major obstacle in the testing of the compressed natural gas (CNG) machines - there were no off-road fueling stations or infrastructure support.

CNG (compressed natural gas) and LNG (liquid natural gas) need a fueling station with special lines, which can run more than a million dollars per station. Since the beginning of October 2008, the capacity CNG testing machines have relied on fuel obtained from on-the-road stations. This limits the usable running time to one shift at the longest. To resolve the issue, 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 compressed natural gas, the first such machines on the U.S. West Coast. (Read the 11/04/08 press release.)