Green plans afoot at Long Beach

In his first ever ‘state of the port’ address, POLB chief executive, Jon Slangerup, said the port is making tremendous strides in its efforts to compete with other seaports by modernising terminals, roadways, bridges and railways, with its US$4bn capital improvement programme.

“Congestion is the single toughest issue we face,” said Mr Slangerup. “And if we don’t fix it immediately, we will drive business away permanently.”

One way to address the issue of improving cargo flow in the long term he said is to initiate a smart system that will provide all the links in the supply chain with the timely data they need to optimise efficiencies – from how ships are loaded to how cargo owners track the movement of their goods.

Mr Slangerup also discussed his ideas for an “Energy Island” programme to explore solutions to the port’s increasing need for electricity. As the port adds more and more zero-emission equipment, the need for electrical power grows. Energy Island is a concept that would bring sustainable power technologies into the port helping to satisfy port needs and to serve as a resource to the community in emergencies.

Given the port’s track record of success with its ten year old ground breaking green port policy, Mr Slangerup said the port should aim high to make Energy Island a reality.

“Our Port has long demonstrated our ability to deliver economic growth and environmental stewardship. These are two faces of the same coin,” he said.