The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have published a joint report setting out how cleaner marine fuels might be introduced across the San Pedro Bay complex, and identifying immediate steps to support their use at what the report describes as the nation’s busiest port complex. Sources published the item on 30 October 2026.
The Clean Marine Fuel Feasibility Assessment was produced as part of the ports’ Green Shipping Corridor efforts and examines which fuels show promise for oceangoing vessels calling at the two ports. The assessment maps technical and infrastructure considerations without prescribing a single pathway.
The report highlights a range of cleaner fuel options while outlining practical interventions designed to enable uptake at scale. It sets out how the ports can coordinate investment, planning and operational measures to create supply and demand signals for lower‑carbon bunkers.
Among the figures reported, the assessment includes a projection that methanol bunker demand at the San Pedro Bay complex could reach up to 250,000 tons by 2030. The document treats that projection as part of a wider set of scenarios intended to inform planning rather than as an immediate forecast.
The assessment and its purpose
The Clean Marine Fuel Feasibility Assessment was compiled within the framework of the ports’ joint Green Shipping Corridor work, intended to identify commercially and technically viable cleaner fuels for deep‑sea ships serving the complex. It offers a structured review of fuel options and the actions required to support their introduction.
The report’s approach focuses on bridging near‑term operational readiness with longer‑term infrastructure planning. It sets out steps the two ports might take together to reduce barriers to supply and to coordinate with industry stakeholders on demand signalling.
Methanol projection and next steps
Methanol is identified in the report as a fuel whose bunker demand could rise substantially at the complex; the document cites potential demand of up to 250,000 tons by 2030. That projection is presented alongside other fuel pathways as part of scenario analysis intended to guide investment and policy choice.
The assessment emphasises coordination between terminal operators, fuel suppliers and regulators to enable bunker availability and safe handling. It also notes that staged implementation and monitoring will be needed as supply chains and vessel technologies evolve.
The ports frame the assessment as a planning tool to support cleaner fuel uptake while preserving the operational continuity of the San Pedro Bay complex. The report aims to provide stakeholders with a common evidence base for decisions on infrastructure, permitting and commercial arrangements.
The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have positioned the feasibility work as part of a shared effort to reduce emissions from the shipping activity that serves the complex. The assessment is intended to inform port strategies and private sector investment rather than to direct a single technology choice.
Sources published the item on 30 October 2026, reporting on the report’s release and summarising its role in the ports’ Green Shipping Corridor activities. The assessment will likely be used by local and regional planners as they consider how to encourage cleaner marine fuels at berth and at anchor.