Slangerup's successor at Long Beach must cope with slowing world trade
THE departure of Jon Slangerup as CEO of the Port of Long Beach comes at a time of slowing world trade, greater expenditure on capital improvements and the introduction of costly alternative energy schemes
Mr Slangerup was praised for his stewardship of the port in the wake of the 2015 dock slow down and the stepping up of port operations that followed.
While the downturn in the international container shipping market has sparked concerns about the long-term viability of the port's capital investment projects, there is good reason to believe that the initiatives of Mr Slangerup, and his predecessor Chris Lytle, will ultimately be justified, reported the American Journal of Transportation.
For example, the port has invested US$1.3 billion in the Long Beach Container Terminal (LBCT) that recently began operations and is not yet operating at full capacity. The new terminal is the most automated in North America and is primarily powered by electrical sources.
At the same time, LBCT's owner, Hong Kong's Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), is entering the new Ocean Alliance with Cosco, CMA CGM, China Shipping and Evergreen, which promises to bring 18,000 TEUers to the terminal in 2017 and significantly increase LBCT's market share.
Mr Slangerup was intent on increasing eco-friendly technologies at the port of Long Beach by reducing fossil fuel dependencies under his "Energy Island" proposal. The port has been developing its own solar capabilities for some time and looking to expand new capabilities that might also include offshore wind.
As a result, the port was moving in the direction of becoming a major renewable energy generator. However, the departure of Mr Slangerup places this initiative into question.
THE departure of Jon Slangerup as CEO of the Port of Long Beach comes at a time of slowing world trade, greater expenditure on capital improvements and the introduction of costly alternative energy schemes
Mr Slangerup was praised for his stewardship of the port in the wake of the 2015 dock slow down and the stepping up of port operations that followed.
While the downturn in the international container shipping market has sparked concerns about the long-term viability of the port's capital investment projects, there is good reason to believe that the initiatives of Mr Slangerup, and his predecessor Chris Lytle, will ultimately be justified, reported the American Journal of Transportation.
For example, the port has invested US$1.3 billion in the Long Beach Container Terminal (LBCT) that recently began operations and is not yet operating at full capacity. The new terminal is the most automated in North America and is primarily powered by electrical sources.
At the same time, LBCT's owner, Hong Kong's Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), is entering the new Ocean Alliance with Cosco, CMA CGM, China Shipping and Evergreen, which promises to bring 18,000 TEUers to the terminal in 2017 and significantly increase LBCT's market share.
Mr Slangerup was intent on increasing eco-friendly technologies at the port of Long Beach by reducing fossil fuel dependencies under his "Energy Island" proposal. The port has been developing its own solar capabilities for some time and looking to expand new capabilities that might also include offshore wind.
As a result, the port was moving in the direction of becoming a major renewable energy generator. However, the departure of Mr Slangerup places this initiative into question.