BY STAS MARGARONIS[1]
THE PROBLEM
In 2015, Caltrans reported 12,045 five-axle daily truck trips that occurred at the onset of the 710 freeway. Nine miles north, at the intersection of the 91 freeway, a gateway to Southern California warehouses, the 710 attracted 18,110 daily five-axle truck trips.[2]
A 2017 study, sponsored by the Southern California Association of Governments, estimates that 4.8% of imports passing through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in 2015 were transloaded and trucked up to Northern California, nearly 400 miles away.[3] This percentage corresponds to approximately 634,000 truck trips factoring transloading from harbor trucks hauling mostly 40-foot containers into 53-foot trailers for final deliveries.[4]
As background, mostly 40-foot containers are unloaded off ships at the two ports, trucked on the 710 and related freeways to Southern California distribution centers where the containers are unloaded and then reloaded into 53-foot trailer trucks. The process can take from 7-8 days to deliver freight to end users, according to warehouse executives.[5] One Marine Highway container ship can annually transport 78,780 40‐foot containers between ports in Southern California and Northern California.
One major trucking company says it transports between 400-500 53-foot truckloads per day of primarily port generated imports going from Southern California distribution centers to Northern California, Oregon, Washington and destinations along the I-5 corridor.
SOLUTION
New Marine 5 Highway ships might shift as many as 634,000 truck trips per year off the 710 and other California freeways.[6] The cost for the ships would be about $500 million. The use of the ships as a transportation mode is consistent with the 2017 Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) supported by the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Financing could come from a per container fee and not taxpayers. The I-5 coastal corridor is designated as the Marine 5 Highway by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
BACKGROUND
- MARINE HIGHWAY SHIPS SUPPORT 2017 CLEAN AIR ACTION PLAN
The governing boards of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach unanimously approved the 2017 Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), on November 2, 2017. The plan contains ambitious goals for lowering truck and cargo-handling equipment to near zero and ultimately zero emissions. In a background paper, the two ports state: “the 2017 CAAP (Clean Air Action Plan) Update includes goals for 100% zero-emissions for trucks by 2035 and cargo-handling equipment by 2030 …The CAAP does not mandate or assume the use of one particular technology or fuel. Operators have choices about the use of the clean technology that meets their operational needs, while also meeting the ports goals for lower emissions. In addition, the CAAP introduces interim milestones for near-zero emissions trucks and equipment but continues to support the ultimate goal of zero emissions.
The Ports seek emission reductions that will:
- Reduce cancer risk from port-related diesel particulate matter by 85% by 2020
- By 2023 reduce port related NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions by 59%; SOx (Sulphur oxides) emissions by 93% and diesel particulate matter by 77%
- By 2030 reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from port-related sources by 40% below 1990 levels and by 2050 reduce those emissions by 80% below 1990 levels.
2) MARINE HIGHWAY SHIPS CAN REDUCE TRUCK TRAFFIC NOW THAT 710 FREEWAY WIDENING IS POSTPONED
The 710 freeway is a major harbor truck corridor by which containerized truckloads enter and leave the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on the way to Southern California warehouses and distribution centers. Growing truck traffic on the 710-freeway resulted in plans by the California Department of Transportation to widen the freeway. However, on March 1, 2018, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board voted to defer widening the freeway.
Following adoption of the 2006 Clean Air Action Plan, pollution generated from the two ports, including harbor trucking, has declined substantially. Unfortunately, residents living along the 710 and related freeways as well as near distribution centers in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties continue to complain of serious respiratory problems created by harbor trucks going to and from warehouses.
When the 710-freeway widening’s Environmental Impact Report was performed, it did not include the potential of ships to reduce Southern California harbor truck traffic and emissions. Thus, a transportation alternative to trucks, that could have had a positive impact on the 710 without adding lanes to the freeway, was not considered.
SOLUTION
- NEW SHIPS REDUCE EMISSIONS VERSUS TRUCKS TRANSPORTING GOODS ALONG THE 710/I-5 CORRIDORS & SUPPORT CAAP GOALS
In January 2018, Trinity Consultants Inc, an air emissions analyst located at Oakland CA, and SMB Naval Architects, based in the Netherlands, produced a report estimating that one Marine 5 Highway ship sailing between Southern California and Northern California ports could annually eliminate 123 tons of nitrogen oxide gases (NOx) and 33,295 tons of greenhouse gases (GHG).[7]
The projection is that the Marine 5 Highway ship sailing between the Los Angeles/Long Beach port to the Port of Stockton will reduce emissions compared to a truck taking the same route.
The truck trip projection goes between Long Beach/Los Angeles and a warehouse at Patterson, California, south of Stockton.[8]
This results in the following percentage reductions compared to Model Year trucks 2014-2020:[9]
N0x: Ship’s Emissions = 60% of truck emissions
GHG: Ship’s Emissions = 18% of truck emissions
Particulate Matter 10 & 2.5 = 0 emissions by ship compared to .004 & .002 respectively by truck
On an annual basis, one proposed Marine 5 Highway ship can transport as many as 78,780 40‐foot containers per year. The proposed Marine 5 Highway ship is powered by an 8,000‐kilowatt engine (10,728 horsepower) and fueled by LNG so as to minimize emissions when compared to diesel‐powered vessels. It is also proposed to deploy batteries to reduce emissions further. Each ship can carry as many as 505 40-foot containers per sailing.
The ships are powered by LNG.
Nitrogen oxides are produced from the reaction of nitrogen and oxygen during fuel combustion in truck and car engines and cause respiratory problems for people.[10] The N0x reductions reported by the Trinity study suggests that the ships, powered by LNG, provide a major benefit. However, the ship reduces emissions compared to truck by 40% and the CAAP calls for a 59% reduction by 2023, so this will have to be achieved by 1) further emissions improvements 2) battery power on ships 3) battery powered trucks delivering the containers to end users from the Port of Stockton.
Particulate matter that derive from diesel emissions can cause respiratory problems.
The ability of ships to reduce Greenhouse gases by 33,295 tons provides a benefit to eliminating gases that contribute to global warming.
- MARINE HIGHWAY SHIPS REDUCE TRUCK TRAFFIC
By shifting 4.8% of truck traffic off the 710 and related freeways, the ships could shift as many approximately 634,000 truck trips per year. This factors trucks leaving and entering the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports as well as the transloading of containers from harbor trucks, hauling mostly 40-foot containers, and transferred their cargo into 53-foot trailers for final deliveries.[11]
- NEW MARINE HIGHWAY SHIPS CAN SAVE SHIPPERS TIME AND MONEY
Marine 5 Highway ships are projected to save shippers $500- $1,000 per container and 3-4 days travel time transporting freight from Los Angeles and Long Beach to end users in Northern California.[12]
- NEW MARINE HIGHWAY SHIPS CAN BE FINANCED BY A PER CONTAINER FEE AND NOT BY TAXPAYER FUNDING
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have instituted a number of programs including Pier/Pass (penalizing truck deliveries during the day), the Alameda Corridor Transport Authority (rail line linking the two ports) that utilize per container charges. A similar system can be used to pay for ships that 1) reduce emissions supporting CAAP goals 2) reduce truck traffic on the 710 freeway 3) save shippers time and money transporting containers between Southern California and Northern California
CONCLUSION
New ships and on-dock rail can be integrated into new zero emission automated container terminals that meet the ports’ CAAP goals, reduce 710 truck congestion and emissions and don’t need taxpayer financing. The advantage of a ship is economies of scale. This makes waterborne transportation more fuel efficient and ultimately less polluting. This is evident from the horsepower required for trucks to transport the proposed ship’s 505 40-foot containers: 505 trucks x 375 horsepower per truck = 189,375 horsepower. The ship only needs 10,728 horsepower to transport the same load as 505 trucks.
[1] Margaronis is an advocate of U.S.-built Marine Highway shipping and heads Santa Maria Shipping, LLC, which financed the Trinity Consultants emission report.
[2] California State Transportation Agency, “2015: Annual Average Daily Truck Traffic on the California State Highway System” pp 210-211
[3] http://queue.ieor.berkeley.edu/People/Faculty/leachman-pubs/RCL-LA-Basin-Initiatives-Jan_13_2017.pdf
[4] http://santamariashippingllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Marine-5-Highway-Fact-Sheet-62117-PDF.pdf
[5]0 Ibid
[6] http://santamariashippingllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Marine-5-Highway-Fact-Sheet-62117-PDF.pdf
[7] Trinity Consultants, Inc. “Trucking Emission Estimates and Comparison to Proposed Shipping Emissions”, January 11, 2018
[8] Ibid, page 6
[9] Ibid
[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOx
[11] http://santamariashippingllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Marine-5-Highway-Fact-Sheet-62117-PDF.pdf
[12] Ibid