Shanghai: The Port of Los Angeles next summer is scheduled to begin a $106 million expansion of the China Shipping Container Line terminal, eight years after submitting the original environmental impact report.
The harbour commission has approved the final EIR, with plans to advertise for bids in the spring and begin construction in August.
Although it is one of the smaller facilities in the nation's largest container port, the China Shipping terminal is possibly the most famous. The 75-acre first phase of the terminal opened in 2004 after lengthy litigation and settlement of a costly lawsuit brought by environmentalists.
The port's acceptance of strict environmental standards and a $50 million mitigation settlement for phase one of the facility set the standard for marine terminal construction in Los Angeles-Long Beach harbour. In fact, environmental requirements have been increased since then.
Under the latest EIR, all vessels will have to operate from shore-side electrical power. Vessel operators will have to burn low-sulfur fuel within 40 miles of the harbour and reduce vessel speed in order to cut down on emissions. Low-emission rail locomotives, yard equipment and drayage trucks will also be required. Eventually, all trucks calling at the facility will have to run on alternative fuels.
When the second and third phases are completed, the terminal will be almost doubled in size to 142 acres. It will have 10 cranes, 2,500 feet of wharf and an annual capacity of 1.5 million TEUs.
The China Shipping facility is the second EIR to be approved this year in Los Angeles. Earlier, the harbour commission approved the TraPac expansion project, where MOL regularly calls. [12/01/09]
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