Long Beach Offers Cash Incentives for Clean Air Ships

The Port of Long Beach harbor commissioners approved a port incentive program to improve air quality by attracting clean vessels. The Green Ship Award Program will pay operators as much as $6,000 per ship visit for bringing the vessels with the cleanest engines to Long Beach, it said. Vessels with main engines meeting Tier 2 or Tier 3 standards established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will be eligible for incentives ranging from $2,500 to $6,000 per ship call. The program aims to reduce smog-causing nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, which can affect respiratory health. Tier 2 engines reduce NOx emissions by 15 percent, and Tier 3 will reduce NOx by 80 percent.