Thanks to federal stimulus money, the Port of Los Angeles has found a way to pay for another environmental initiative.

The port has announced plans to retrofit its 40-year-old tour boat, the Angelena II, with a nearly half-million-dollar hybrid propulsion system.

Expected to cut the boat’s emissions by 95 percent, the new engine will rely on a combination of electric and diesel energy. It reportedly will be the first harbor craft in the world to have such a hybrid power source.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant will reimburse the port for the $489,000 system, which will replace the two diesel engines currently powering the boat.

When the project is completed in December, the Angelena II will be able to provide its standard tours of the port entirely on electric energy. The port gives dozens of tours each year for public officials, foreign delegations, reporters and the like.

The port has been serious about cutting emissions at the port, notably by its controversial Clean Truck Program that called for phasing out old trucks with cleaner burning ones. Geraldine Knatz, the port’s executive director, said this project is another opportunity to cut emissions.

“Harbor vessel pollution is a common problem in ports nationwide,” Knatz said. “But instead of waiting for someone else to find a solution, we’re going to repower our vessel and demonstrate how this new technology can work for other ports and vessel operators.