The Port of LA paid US$5m to upgrade China Shipping’s vessels

The Port of Los Angeles paid US$5m in 2005 to enable China Shipping’s ships to plug into electric shore power when at dock but most of the carrier’s vessels stopped calling at the port in 2010, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The port paid the Chinese state-owned shipping line to keep diesel engine from polluting the area surrounding the area, with the carrier spending the money to upgrade 17 of its ships.

The payment was part of a 2004 legal settlement to a dispute started when local residents and environmentalists expressed health concerns and filed a lawsuit to stop the expansion of China Shipping’s facilities.