Los Angeles and Long Beach Identify LNG and Methanol as Key Marine Fuels

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach released a joint study, the Clean Marine Fuel Feasibility Assessment, identifying liquefied natural gas (LNG) and methanol as the most viable alternative marine fuels in the short and medium term. The study, developed as part of both ports' Green Shipping Corridor initiatives, projects that annual LNG demand in the San Pedro Bay could range between 65,000 and 115,000 metric tons by 2030, while methanol demand could range between 64,000 and 250,000 metric tons, depending on market conditions and the pace of adoption of vessels with alternative engines.

The study does not recommend massive, immediate infrastructure investments, but rather a gradual approach that leverages existing facilities as actual demand grows. For methanol, much of the storage and distribution infrastructure needed is already available or could be adapted, which would lower upfront costs; the study also suggests promoting pilot bunkering projects, encouraging early adoption, and working with regulators on safety standards and permitting. For LNG, it recommends relying on existing ship-to-ship bunkering methods rather than building new large-scale storage facilities within the ports.

The report adds to ongoing efforts to establish clean shipping corridors between major international trade hubs. In April, Los Angeles and Long Beach renewed their Green and Digital Shipping Corridor agreement with Singapore, which has already carried out methanol bunkering trials and licensed suppliers of that fuel, while the California ports move forward with developing their own demonstration capabilities. The next step will be a joint request for proposals, expected by late 2026, aimed at projects that demonstrate alternative fuel bunkering capabilities in San Pedro Bay.

Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Noel Hacegaba said that strategic investments guided by this study will enable a growing market for these cleaner marine fuels, helping vessels serving the trans-Pacific trade move toward a cleaner future. Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka, for his part, stated that reducing vessel emissions is one of the industry's most pressing challenges and that the study provides a clearer picture of where the market is heading.

Around 4,000 vessels call annually at the San Pedro Bay ports, with oceangoing vessels representing the leading source of emissions within the port complex. The environmental benefit of LNG and methanol will depend on how these fuels are produced and supplied. The ports' Clean Air Action Plan, approved in 2006 and updated in 2017, has already reduced port-related emissions since 2005 by 90% for diesel particulate matter, 70% for nitrogen oxides, and 98% for sulfur oxides, with targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80% by 2050.