Port of Long Beach Kicks Off Big Modernization Project
Officials at the Port of Long Beach gathered on May 14 to kick off a modernization project that will give the port one of the most technologically advanced terminals in the United States.
The Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project will combine two terminals into one large terminal to be leased by Hong Kong–based Orient Overseas Container Line and its subsidiary, Long Beach Container Terminal, for 40 years. The lease is valued at $4.6 billion.
“Middle Harbor is part of a $4.5 billion port-wide investment over the coming decade that will give our customers a significant competitive advantage for decades to come,” said J. Christopher Lytle, the Port of Long Beach’s executive director. “This investment will support more trade, adding as many as 50,000 new, permanent jobs—14,000 of which will come from Middle Harbor.”
The Middle Harbor modernization project is combining two older facilities—LBCT’s existing terminal and a nearby vacated facility—into one container terminal. LBCT will expand from a 90-acre facility to a new 304-acre terminal with the ability to dock some of the largest cargo-container ships in the world. The project is expected to be completed by 2019.—Deborah Belgum
