Harbor Chiefs to Discuss Future of Local Ports

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach together make up the nation’s largest seaport complex. But there’s no love lost between the so-called “twin ports.” Long Beach handles more cargo, but Los Angeles is hoping to steal away that bragging right, just as it recently swiped one of Long Beach’s best customers. After operating a terminal in Long Beach for more than 20 years, Maersk, the world’s largest shipping company, announced last month it was moving to Los Angeles and taking its yearly cargo volume of 1 million containers with it.

On Thursday, the executive directors of both ports will appear in public together for the first time since Maersk’s defection. Any lingering bad feelings, however, are expected to remain under wraps as Los Angeles port boss Larry Keller and his Long Beach counterpart Richard Steinke discuss the current state of their harbors and plans for future growth at a lunch meeting organized by the Foreign Trade Assn. of Southern California. Given its impact on those plans for both ports, however, the Maersk issue will be almost impossible to ignore. The meeting is scheduled for noon at the Manhattan Beach Marriott Hotel. For more information, call (213) 627-0634, ext. 204.