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Port of Los Angeles Shares Air Quality Technology With Top Trading Partner, China

Posted on: Monday, 31 October 2005, 12:00 CST

Acknowledging air quality as a global concern, an executive delegation from the Port of Los Angeles is visiting China and Taiwan this week as part of a mutual pact between the United States and China to manage air pollution derived from marine vessels and ports. China is the Port's number one trading partner, with more than $64 million worth of cargo coming through the Port of Los Angeles last year alone.

The visit includes meetings and presentations at the ports of Shanghai and Taipei. Discussions will focus on reducing diesel emissions and managing urban air pollution resulting from port-related operations. Representatives from the Port of Los Angeles include Bruce E. Seaton, Interim Executive Director; Noel Cunningham, Director of Operations and Emergency Management; Jim MacLellan, Director of Marketing; and Paul Johansen, Assistant Director of Environmental Management.

Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners authorized the acceptance of a grant on behalf of the Port of Los Angeles from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) that provides $185,000 for a program facilitating the exchange of ideas on air quality technology between the ports of Los Angeles and Shanghai. Part of the funding will be used for the Far East trip.

The Port of Los Angeles will assist the Port of Shanghai in establishing an advisory group, which will be modeled after the California Air Resources Board's Maritime Working Group. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency holds a cooperative agreement in environmental protection with China's State Environmental Protection Administration.

The Port of Los Angeles has embarked on an aggressive implementation of clean air programs and will share its finding and strategies with the ports while learning from this experience.

On September 2, 2005, the ports of Los Angeles and Shanghai entered into a draft friendship port agreement and signed a letter of intent to collaborate on air quality issues. The Port of Los Angeles also has an established sister port agreement with the Port of Keelung, Taiwan and international offices in both China and Taiwan.

According to Container Management's World Port Rankings for 2004, the Port of Shanghai ranked as the third busiest port in the world, with an annual container throughput of 14.6 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) - a standardized maritime industry measurement used when counting cargo containers of varying lengths. The Port of Los Angeles ranked number one in the U.S. and eighth in the world, with 7.4 million TEUs.

The Port of Los Angeles is America's premier port. As the leading container port in the nation and a critical hub in the international supply chain, the Port generates thousands of stable jobs and billions of dollars in annual wages and tax revenues. The Port of Los Angeles also places a high priority on responsible growth initiatives combined with high security, environmental stewardship and community outreach. The Port of Los Angeles is a proprietary, self-supported department of the City of Los Angeles. The Port of Los Angeles. . . Anchoring a bright future.

Source: Business Wire

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