Business & Tech

Port of Long Beach Prepares for Mega-Ships Expected in Early 2016

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners approved $579 million for projects aimed at keeping the port internationally competitive.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners approved $579 million for projects aimed at keeping the port internationally competitive when new mega-ships start transiting the Panama Canal in early 2016.

A new set of locks will enable longer, wider container ships, with deeper drafts, from Asia to bypass West Coast ports, and the Port of Long Beach -- the nation's second busiest port behind Los Angeles -- wants to stay competitive.

"In order to maintain our competitive edge, we must continue to invest vigorously. Ports in Canada, in Mexico and even the threat of the expanded Panama Canal creates a lot of competitive pressures for us," Noel Hacegaba, acting deputy executive director for the Port of Long Beach, told Video News West.

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More than two-thirds of the Port of Long Beach's $858 million budget, which the commissions approved Monday, will go toward port improvements.

"We are in the process now of modernizing our terminals. We're raising our bridge so it will be taller. We're doing everything that we have to do to make sure we are ready for the big ships," Hacegaba said.

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The 155-foot-tall Gerald Desmond Bridge, which spans a critical shipping channel, is being rebuilt at a cost of about $1 billion to accommodate taller ships and will be funded separately.

The $579 million in improvements is part of a 10-year, $4 billion investment, he said.

The port budget will next go before the Long Beach City Council for approval.

--City News Service


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