Company Profile
Port of Long Beach
Company Overview
The Port of Long Beach is the premier U.S. gateway for trans-Pacific trade and a trailblazer in innovative goods movement, safety, environmental stewardship and sustainability. Voted “Best West Coast Seaport” by industry peers, the Port handles trade valued at $200 billion annually and supports 2.6 million jobs across the nation, more than 575,000 in Southern California, and more than 50,000 jobs – or 1 in 5 – in Long Beach.
The Port of Long Beach is one of the few U.S. ports that can welcome today’s largest vessels, serving 175 shipping lines with connections to 217 seaports around the world. Goods moving through the Port of Long Beach originate in or are destined for every congressional district in the United States. In 2022, the Port handled more than 9.1 million container units, achieving the second-busiest year in its history.
Led by the five-member Board of Harbor Commissioners and Chief Executive Officer Mario Cordero, the Port is on track for a green future, creating the world’s most modern, efficient and sustainable seaport. As part of an industry-leading $2.2 billion capital improvement program this decade, the Port is building some of the most modern, efficient and sustainable marine facilities to enhance the reliable, safe and sustainable movement of goods while generating thousands of new jobs.
The Port of Long Beach prides itself on its culture of excellent customer service and the strong relationships it maintains with industry, community, environmental advocates and partner agencies.
Company History
The Port of Long Beach was founded on 800 acres (3.2 km2) of mudflats on June 24, 1911, at the mouth of the Los Angeles River. In 1917, the first Board of Harbor Commissioners was formed to supervise harbor operations. Due to the booming economy, Long Beach voters approved a $5 million bond to improve the inner and outer harbor in 1924. The old Municipal Pier was rebuilt into the Municipal Wharf in 1925. In 1925 construction started on Pier A and Pier B, with the opening of Pier A in 1930.
By 1926 more than one million tons of cargo were handled, and additional piers were constructed to accommodate the growing business.
The first bridge linking the eastern end of Terminal Island and Long Beach across the Back Channel was an unnamed "temporary" pontoon bridge constructed during World War II to accommodate traffic resulting from the expansion of the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. In 1968, it was replaced by the Gerald Desmond Bridge.
In 1946, after World War II, the Port of Long Beach was established as "America’s most modern port" with the completion of the first of nine clear-span transit sheds. Pier E was completed and Pier B was expanded to two times its size in 1949. Pierpoint Landing was completed on Pier F in 1948, becoming a large sport fishing spot.
With the rapid expansion of the port, pollution also increased. The Port of Long Beach instituted programs to prevent and control oil spills, contain debris, and manage vessel traffic. Due to its efforts, the port was awarded the American Association of Port Authorities Environmental "E" Award. Long Beach is the first harbor in the Western Hemisphere to receive such an award.
In 1979, with improved relations between the United States and China, the port sent officials to the People’s Republic of China for the first time. Less than a year later, the China Ocean Shipping Co. (COSCO) inaugurated international shipping and designated Long Beach as its first US port of call. Relationships were forged with other international powers, and South Korea's Hanjin Shipping opened a 57-acre (230,000 m2) container terminal on Pier C of the port in 1991. Following this, COSCO, secured business with the Port of Long Beach in 1997.
From the late 1990s through 2011, the Port of Long Beach saw increased traffic and growth with the leasing of terminals. In 1997, approximately one million containers were inbound to the port. By 2005, this number had tripled to nearly 3.3 million containers. If outbound containers are included, then the number increased from 3 million containers in 1997 to nearly 6.7 million containers in 2005.
Pier Wind, which would be used for the assembly of offshore wind turbines, was announced in 2023. A 400-acre terminal area (160 ha) would be built on new land composed of dredged material for assembling the tall structures. The turbine systems would be floated into an adjacent wet storage area before being towed out to sea.