Recent Progress
Completed environmental compliance audits of all U.S. container and conventional terminals.
Deployed 190 units of near-zero and zero emissions equipment across our global operations in 2023.
Certified 4 additional terminals through the Green Marine environmental program in 2023. Ranked first in the Container Port sector in the United States for GRESB reporting.
Air quality & decarbonization
Carrix, the parent company of SSA Marine, is committed to reducing GHG emissions 15%* by the end of 2024 (from 2021 levels).
Emissions Inventory: In 2023, we completed our annual Scope 1 & 2 emissions inventory for greenhouse gases for our global operations. Carrix has also established an activity-based emissions inventory for our global Scope 1 operations.
Renewable Diesel: SSA Terminals and SSA Pacific utilize renewable diesel (R80/B20) at our terminals in California, beginning with our operations at the Port of Long Beach in 2021. In 2023 we used just over 2.3 million gallons of renewable diesel.
Vessel Shore Power: SSA Marine has worked closely with our port and carrier partners to support the use of shore power by ships, drastically reducing diesel emissions while at-berth. We currently have 20 shore power capable berths available at 6 facilities on the U.S. West Coast and we are working with the port authorities to support their plans to add additional shore power capacity at the terminals we operate.
Investing in zero emissions equipment
Carrix has long been a leader in the testing and deployment of low and zero emission technologies. We continue to deploy and test technologies throughout our global operations. Major investments in 2023 include:
Pier C Electric Yard Trucks: In 2023, we deployed 33 battery electric yard and related charging infrastructure at the Port of Long Beach, the first zero emission yard trucks at an SSA container port. When fully commissioned, the fleet will reduce approximately 1,733 tCO2e in Scope 1 (tailpipe) emissions annually.
Outer Harbor Fruit Terminal: In 2023, we deployed thirty-one (31) 3,000 lb capacity forklifts and twenty-two (22) charging stations at the Port of Los Angeles. Phase 2 will deploy additional forklifts and charging stations, is expected by end of 2024.
Hybrid RTGs: Deployed nine hybrid rubber-tired gantry cranes to West Coast container terminals. The fuel savings with hybrid battery/diesel RTG versus diesel RTG is approximately 8 gallons of diesel saved per hour.
Energy use
Solar Power Generation: Veracruz, Mexico installed 30 Solar Panels (245 W), in safety area generating an average 8,434 kWh, avoiding yearly emission of 2,109 kg CO2 in the atmosphere. Veracruz also installed 38 solar panels (550 W) on office rooftops in 2023. Our West Sacramento, CA terminal installed photovoltaic solar panels on two roof sheds.
Terminal Lighting: In 2023, Carrix has continued upgrading lighting on terminals to LED, which reduced electricity consumption by up to 90%. LED lighting has been installed at terminals in Mexico (Lazaro Cardenas, Tuxpan) and the United States (Washington, California). Squamish Terminals of Western Group (Canada) upgraded its lighting on the terminal to LEDs, translating to a 55% reduction in energy consumption. We will continue to evaluate retrofitting terminal lighting to further implement LED into our facilities.
Reducing Energy Consumption: Use of Green Plus catalyst diesel at Ocupa/Friman terminals in Manzanillo, Mexico increases energy efficiency by 7%, reduces greenhouse gases by 7%, reduces PM 2.5 emissions by 30%, reduces black carbon by 30% and reduces primary emissions by 50%.
Stormwater treatment
The Washington State Department of Ecology administers the Industrial Stormwater General Permit which imposes some of the most stringent requirements in North America. SSA has made significant investments in terminal infrastructure to install state of the art stormwater treatment systems at our terminals in the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) gateway, consistently achieving 85 – 95% reduction of pollutants such as zinc and copper. Together our NWSA treatment systems capture stormwater from 489 acres on 4 terminals.
Northwest Seaport Alliance Terminal 18: In 2021, SSA Terminals completed a five-year stormwater treatment project at Terminal 18, which now includes 10 on-terminal treatment systems that handle 16 outfalls. This stormwater treatment project has been a large undertaking for the company, in collaboration with the Port of Seattle, with a total capital investment of $38.1M, 50% of which is reimbursed by the Port.
Northwest Seaport Alliance Terminal 5: In 2023, in collaboration with the Northwest Seaport Alliance, SSA has installed an advanced stormwater treatment system as part of the Terminal 5 Berth Modernization Project, which will treat a total of 192 acres with 4 systems.
Carrix sustainability strategy 2030
Carrix is in the process of developing our Sustainability Strategy 2030 to establish a comprehensive approach to incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) into Carrix global operations while growing our business.
We recognize that our diverse operations and geographic locations require different degrees of engagement on sustainability and that some of our facilities are more advanced than others. The Carrix Sustainability Strategy 2030 sets the baseline for which we will globally aspire to, while allowing for facilities to continue to meet the needs of their operations by exceeding these goals. We will utilize our annual sustainability report to highlight the work of our teams around the world.
The Carrix team intends to update our Sustainability Strategy in our 2024 Reporting year. For additional information, download our 2023 Sustainability Report.
*based on emissions intensity
