Big ‘Green’ Freighter Makes First Stop at Los Angeles Port

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The world’s largest alternative maritime power vessel which can plug into shore-side electrical power while at berth recently made its maiden voyage to the Port of Los Angeles, marking a step forward for the technology.


The port last week held a welcoming ceremony for the Xin Ya Zhou, the first in a series of five similar ships being constructed for China Shipping Container Lines Co. Ltd., a Shanghai, China-based shipping company and tenant at the port.


Alternative maritime power, sometimes referred to as “cold ironing,” is a key element of the port’s effort to reduce pollution from the complex, even as international trade continues to expand. Ships plugged into shore-side generators emit about one ton fewer nitrogen oxides for every day a ship is berthed.


So far the port has spent several million dollars to build berthside electrical infrastructure and plans to spend $50 million more as part of its $2 billion clean air plan.


The 1,096-foot, 101,000-ton Xin Ya Zhou can carry more than 8,500 cargo containers. The ship is a second-generation alternative power vessel, allowing it to hook up into shoreside power without conversion by a barge transformer.


The ship is scheduled to serve the ports of Oakland, Ningbo, Nansha, Yantian and Shanghai, in addition to Los Angeles. China Shipping Container Lines has about 20 older alternative power ships in its fleet.



Tracking Truckers

In response to pressure from the Homeland Security Department, trucks will soon be required to install a new tracking device in order to gain access to marine terminals at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.


The recently announced changes to the PierPass program, which regulates goods movement and encourages after-hours cargo transport at the ports, will take effect starting December 1. All trucks will be required to have TruckTags, which use radio frequency identification technology to provide driver information and verify security clearance as they pass through terminal gates.


“There always has been a requirement to know who’s coming and going from terminals and this tag will help facilitate that process,” said Bruce Wargo, chief executive of PierPass Inc., a Long Beach-based non-profit company that oversees the program.


The trucking industry has been supportive of this measure, he said, because it helps them get in and out of the ports more quickly and efficiently. Trucks without the tags will likely be denied access to the terminals, though it will depend on the terminal operator.


To date, about 16,000 tags have been distributed under the PierPass program, though not all have been installed or registered. The RFID tags are made by Santa Clara-based WhereNet Corp. and the driver and company information is tracked by Irvine-based eModal.



Desert Launch

A little bit of space is coming to wide-open Palmdale.


The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners approved a 20-year lease agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for use of one of the five hangars at L.A./Palmdale Regional Airport.


Under the deal, NASA will lease the 422,000-square-foot Hangar 703, as well as 16 acres adjacent to the hangar to be used as an aircraft operations facility that will support the agency’s research.


The site was previously used by Rockwell International for manufacturing of the B-1 Lancer aircraft. NASA expects that the move will create about 150 aerospace and technical jobs in the area. The deal calls for NASA to pay rent of about $1.4 million per year, which will increase 3.5 percent annually.


The agency plans to invest nearly $7 million in facility upgrades. The board also recommended that Los Angeles World Airports, which owns and operates the airport, invest an additional $4 million for repairs.


Since the lease is for more than five years, the deal is subject to approval by the Los Angeles City Council.



Downtown Digs

Worldwide Aeros Corp., a Tarzana aircraft maker, has opened a new engineering and manufacturing facility near downtown Los Angeles.


The company plans to use the facility for the development of Aeroscraft, a rigid, buoyancy-assisted aircraft. The company envisions the unusual aircraft, which looks like a cross between a passenger jet and a blimp, as a kind of “private air yacht.”


“This new facility will allow us to continue to solidify our position as the leader and pioneer in our industry by developing and bringing a new type of air vehicle the Aeroscraft to the market,” said Vice President Fred Edworthy in a statement.


In addition to the aircraft, the facility also will be used for aircraft and aeronautic system development, as well as government-sponsored research and development.



Staff reporter Richard Clough can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext. 251, or at [email protected].

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