Cleanest ship to visit U.S. comes to Long Beach

MSC Jewel emits 75% less than previous generation vessels

Mediterranean Shipping Company’s MSC Jewel, the cleanest container ship to visit the United States, stopped by the Port of Long Beach last month.

MSC Jewel arrived at Total Terminals International’s Pier T facility on July 12. The ship, 1,200 feet long with a capacity of 14,436 twenty-foot equivalent units, was built in 2019 and is powered by Tier III diesel engines (main propulsion and auxiliary power), which are 75% cleaner than the Tier II standard set by the International Maritime Organization.

“Tier III ships just started entering the global fleet. The Clean Air Action Plan Update we passed two years ago identified strategies to accelerate the timeline by which we would start to see these cleaner ships calling at our port,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Tracy Egoscue. “Achieving this milestone is amazing, and we are grateful MSC chose us for this visit.”

“The Port of Long Beach is known for our commitment to operational excellence, and part of that is leading the industry into the future with our environmental initiatives,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “MSC runs our largest terminal, one of the most productive in North America. We couldn’t be prouder of our partnership with them and the example this sets for other ports.”

All MSC vessels calling at California ports are shore-power equipped, allowing them to plug into the landside electrical grid to further reduce emissions when berthed. MSC and other carriers can also take advantage of one of several environment-based incentive programs created by the Port to encourage cleaner operations. For example, MSC will receive $6,000 for the MSC Jewel's visit through the Port of Long Beach Green Ship Incentive Program. The initiative rewards qualifying vessel operators for deploying today's greenest ships and accelerating the use of tomorrow's greenest ships.