California Apparel News

You may have heard of the madness of King George—there’s a superb 1994 biopic about it—but that’s certainly not the case with this George III, who’s not a monarch but a cargo ship.

On Aug. 17, the Port of Long Beach gave a king’s welcome to Pasha Hawaii’s MV George III, the first container ship powered by liquefied natural gas to refuel on the West Coast. The ship’s engines are dramatically cleaner than those of a traditional cargo ship and are thus a great effort toward restoring environmental sanity. Following George’s regal visit to Long Beach, the 774-foot-long ship will begin its maiden voyage back to its home in Honolulu.

“Reducing ship emissions will have a significant and positive impact on the region’s air quality,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. Added Harbor Commission President Sharon L. Weissman, “This is another positive step toward the widespread adoption of alternative fuels in cargo shipping and using cleaner technology to do business at the port.”

And what did the royal family have to say? “As we mark our 75th anniversary and welcome George III to Long Beach, we are proud to continue my family’s legacy of innovation and environmental stewardship,” said George Pasha IV, President and CEO of Pasha Hawaii. The vessel was named after George Pasha IV’s late father, who, needless to say, is not the 18th-century English monarch though he shares the same name and numeral.

The new ship strengthens the port’s commitment to the Green Port Policy and San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan enacted 15 years ago. Earth-saving actions since then have led to unprecedented reductions in emissions connected to goods movement, as the port continues to work toward meeting a goal of deploying all zero-emissions cargo-handling equipment by 2030 and zero-emissions drayage trucks by 2035.