Tuesday, June 12, 2012

POLA Approves Major Expansion Project


The Los Angeles Harbor Commission has certified the final Environmental Impact Report for the proposed expansion of Berths 302-306 and approved the $196 million project, which would renovate and modernize the 300-acre container terminal.

The facility, commonly known as Pier 300, is the port’s second largest and is operated by long-time tenant Eagle Marine Services, a subsidiary of ocean carrier APL.

Much of the work on the terminal will be at Berth 306, where the port is expected to add 1,250 feet of new wharf and 41 acres of backlands on existing fill. Eagle Marine Services will add eight state-of-the-art gantry cranes, bringing the total number of cranes at the terminal to 24.

“This project strengthens APL’s ability to continue providing the level and quality of service to meet our customers’ needs into the future,” Gene Seroka, APL’s Regional President of the Americas, said of the expansion.

Other major elements include gate and lane upgrades to include a new exit gate; improved access and internal circulation for trucks to pick up and deliver cargo more efficiently; a dedicated refrigerated container storage area; renovated maintenance and new office facilities; and modern backland design and infrastructure that could support automated operations in the future.

Environmentally friendly innovations include equipping the entire terminal with shoreside power electrical infrastructure to eliminate emissions from ships at berth.

The project’s expected to maximize use of the property by allowing APL to handle nearly 58 percent more ship calls and accommodate more than 65 percent more cargo, while growing the terminal footprint by less than 20 percent. The percentages translate into up to 390 ship calls and the capacity to move more than 3.2 million 20-foot equivalent units annually by 2027 on the 347-acre terminal, according to the port.

The two-year redevelopment project, which is slated to begin in late 2012, is expected to generate nearly 3,400 jobs during construction and add nearly 8,000 permanent direct and indirect jobs to the Southern California economy over the next 15 years, according to APL.