Splash247: Port of Long Beach: Gateways that wait for certainty before investing risk falling behind

Published by Splash247

Building a competitive seaport requires decades of planning rather than reacting to each new trade disruption, according to Dr Noel Hacegaba, head of the Port of Long Beach, one of America’s largest gateways.

Despite tariffs, geopolitical conflict and uncertainty over future cargo flows, Hacegaba says the California port complex must continue investing in the infrastructure, technology and capacity it will need well beyond the present cycle.

“To build a competitive seaport you must take the long view,” he says in an exclusive interview with Splash Ports. “We’re looking past the present and out to 2050, when we plan to double our annual cargo throughput to 20m teu.”

Long Beach’s 10-year, $3.3bn capital improvement programme sits at the centre of that strategy. It includes terminal modernisation, harbour deepening, energy infrastructure, port electrification and an expansion of on-dock rail.

The largest single project is the $1.8bn Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, which entered construction in 2024 and is due for completion in 2032.

Each phase will deliver capacity as it comes online, Hacegaba says. Once complete, Pier B will triple the port’s existing on-dock rail capacity and reduce the time required to move containers from ship to train from almost four days to 24 hours.

“Speed to market is the key to our success and rail connectivity is the key to our future,” he says.

The project is also central to Long Beach’s response to its biggest physical constraint: a lack of available land. The port cannot simply expand into the surrounding urban area, making denser terminal operations and stronger links with inland rail hubs essential.

“By thinking outside the docks, we can also enhance systemwide efficiencies,” Hacegaba says.

Moving more containers directly from terminals to rail will reduce local truck movements while increasing cargo velocity and allowing the port to handle more volume within its existing footprint.

Digital infrastructure is being developed alongside the physical investment. Long Beach this year launched CargoNav, a free platform providing real-time shipment information to registered users.

The system evolved from the Supply Chain Information Highway developed in response to congestion during the pandemic. Its longer-term goal is to provide end-to-end cargo visibility and coast-to-coast supply-chain connectivity.

Hacegaba says the combination of rail and digital investment should help Long Beach capture additional market share. Import volumes have continued to increase despite tariffs and conflict in the Middle East, while the port is also promoting Foreign Trade Zone 50 as a way for shippers to defer duties and eliminate tariffs on re-exported cargo.

“I’m optimistic that we will see continued growth,” he says.

Long Beach is therefore pressing ahead with what Hacegaba calls a “hurry-up offence” to deliver its long-term vision. The apparent contradiction is deliberate: port infrastructure demands patience, but gateways that wait for certainty before investing risk falling behind.