Posted on July 8, 2024
The port of Long Beach has been deemed as the “Best West Coast Seaport” — for the sixth year in a row.
The port was named the best in the west during the Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain awards in Shanghai on June 25. The award honors logistics industry members exhibiting “leadership and consistency in service quality, innovation, customer relationship management and reliability,” according to a recent press release.
Readers of the shipping trade publication Asia Cargo News nominates ports for the award, but then importers, exporters, and logistics and supply chain professionals determine the winner.
“We are grateful to once again be bestowed this honor,” Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero said. “We appreciate the recognition as we continue to offer operational excellence, and invest in port infrastructure such as our Pier B rail facility and our many ongoing zero-emissions projects.”
The Port of Long Beach has stressed green port initiatives for years, as well as the importance of moving cargo more efficiently. The massive $1.567 billion Pier B rail facility project, which will reconfigure the port’s existing 171-acre railyard in the Harbor District, is designed to shift large amounts of cargo from trucks to rail in the years ahead to improve efficiency and clean the environment.
The port learned late last year that it would receive $283 million in federal funding for the project.
The port, traditionally the second-busiest in the nation — behind only its neighbor, the Port of Los Angeles — handles trade valued at $200 billion annually and supports 2.6 million jobs across the United States, including 575,000 in Southern California, according to POLB’s press release.
And during the next 10 years, the port is planning to spend $2.3 billion to make improvements aimed at enhancing capacity, competitiveness and sustainability.
“We must thank our dockworkers, terminal operators and every one of our supply chain partners for their diligent work and dedication,” Long Beach harbor commission President Bobby Olvera Jr. said in a statement. “Thank you to Asia Cargo News and its readers for this award.”
