Hutchison Ports YANTIAN (YANTIAN) and the Port of Long Beach have signed a memorandum of cooperation to promote a green maritime economy around the Pacific Rim.

The agreement—signed on September 22—aims to promote joint efforts to develop a green maritime economy around the Pacific Rim.

It focuses on the deployment of cutting-edge technologies to reduce emissions, speed up decarbonisation, and improve energy efficiency while fostering technical exchanges and industry best practices.  

Speaking at the memorandum signing ceremony in Shenzhen, Lawrence Shum, managing director of YANTIAN, expressed gratitude to the representatives of the signing and witness parties.

"The shipping industry is a cornerstone of global trade and economy. We recognise the importance of establishing partnerships and aligning our efforts towards common goals," he said.

"Through this Memorandum, we are committed to collaborating with our partners on technical exchanges, knowledge sharing, and project cooperation, positioning ourselves as ‘pioneers’ in the green ocean economy of the Pacific Rim," Shum added.

Mario Cordero, CEO of the Port of Long Beach, noted that one of the most important parts of strategic partnerships like this is the ability to target shipborne emissions, a source that the authority has little power to regulate as a local port organisation.

"We see the potential for this agreement to make fleets cleaner sooner. The technologies and practices we develop through this agreement also have the potential to have a positive impact on the environment and economies far beyond our two ports and cities," he said.

Bonnie Lowenthal, president of the Long Beach Harbor Commission, also welcomed the collective effort to operate more sustainably and develop the green economy.

"This type of international collaboration is critical to our shared goal of decarbonizing shipping in the decades ahead," Lowenthal added.

Shenzhen Port Group chairman Zhaoyang Hu said building on the signing of the Memorandum; the company will drive initiatives in bunkering new fuel, such as green methanol, and the development of zero-carbon ro-ro terminals.

"By enhancing communication and information sharing between the two ports, we aim to improve cargo transportation efficiency and establish more advanced green shipping corridors. These efforts will play a key role in achieving the global Dual-Carbon Goal and fostering deeper economic and trade cooperation between China and the US," Hu further said.

Hutchison Ports YANTIAN, one of the world's largest container terminals, is located in Shenzhen. It serves one-third of the import and export containers of Guangdong province and 25% of the containers carrying China export cargoes to the US.

YANTIAN noted that it is dedicated to adopting environmentally friendly technologies such as shore power supply, electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes, LNG-driven tractors, and electric vehicles, as well as establishing rail-sea intermodal routes. 

"At YANTIAN, our core values are deeply rooted in the principles of environmental stewardship and sustainable development. Throughout the past decade, from 2014 to 2023, we had made significant strides in reducing our carbon footprint, achieving a remarkable 33% decrease in carbon emissions per container," Shum said.

"Every step we take demonstrates our determination to take the lead in creating a more sustainable future for generations to come," he added.