The shipping and logistics industry is working towards a cleaner Earth for all. In fact, many companies are trying to reduce their environmental footprints through various methods. Ports are an area of the industry that are strongly seeking to reduce pollution and emissions.
California’s San Pedro Bay sea ports are seeking cleaner air through proposals for new technology to cut ships’ emissions at berth. The proposals are specifically for ships that are non-container vessels such as tankers, vehicle carriers, bulk and general cargo ships. The ports are seeking these proposals under their joint Technology Advancement Program, which offers $1 million to fund demonstrations of one or more cost-effective technologies that can reduce emissions, according to American Shipper.
At-berth air pollution is the leading source of port-related emissions, but the ports say they have already invested upwards of 400 million dollars in dockside power hookups for shore power. The hookups are supposed to curtail at-berth pollution.
The notion of diminishing vessel emissions is a strategy in the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), an effort aimed at reducing health risks adopted in 2006. The recently updated CAAP now calls for up to a 100 percent reduction in at-berth emissions from container and non-container vessels by 2030, according to Marine Link.
Other than ports, there are also sea freight logistics companies working towards a cleaner environment. A recent agreement between two global logistics companies has a goal set to fulfill a 17 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020.
Initiatives like these are starting to drive change in the shipping and logistics industry, and the future is looking much greener and brighter.