Port of Long Beach Begins Major Expansion Project

The Port of Long Beach on Tuesday launched a $40 million project to deepen its main access channel so the largest vessels in use today will be able to proceed directly to berth.

The 17-month project will deepen the main channel to 76 feet. Large oil tankers, which now must transfer some product to smaller vessels before proceeding to berth, will be able to call at the British Petroleum terminal fully laden.

About 1.5 million cubic feet of dredged material will be used to create a 12-acre landfill site at the Pier G container terminal operated by International Transportation Service Inc. ITS will expand its on-dock rail yard to the landfill site.

Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, who addressed a gathering at the port, said the main channel deepening project is part of the port’s 10-year, $3 billion program to expand marine terminals and infrastructure in order to improve efficiency at the nation’s second largest container port.

“We’re sending a message to our customers. We want your discretionary cargo to come back,” Foster said.

Port of Long Beach Executive Director Dick Steinke noted that the dredged material, some of which is contaminated from a former Navy operation, will be safely capped in the landfill as part of the port’s environmental stewardship mission.

The Army Corps of Engineers will supervise the project and Manson Construction Co. will dredge the channel. Long Beach will provide $35 million in funding, the Corps will add $2.6 million and the remaining $2.4 million will be provided under a federal economic stimulus program.

--Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at bmongelluzzo@joc.com.