In its efforts to support next-generation energy options, the Port of Long Beach is looking at nuclear energy to power future commercial vessels and terminal operations as part of its “Port of the Future” plans, according to Noel Hacegaba, CEO of the Port of Long Beach.
At the Port’s August 19 media briefing, Hacegaba said:
As a result, Hacegaba said:
“I’m excited to announce that Long Beach became the first US seaport to form a partnership with the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration [MARAD] in commercial nuclear-powered … maritime vessels. I traveled to Washington, DC, on July 22 to strike up a partnership with MARAD to advance the development of Small Modular Reactors [SMRs] for powering commercial vessels, ports and other maritime assets with the signing of our Memorandum of Cooperation with MARAD …
“We’re teaming up with the US Maritime Administration and cutting-edge startup BlueCore Energy to power the ‘Port of the Future.’ This work begins with safety. Together with MARAD and federal partners, we’ll help study what it would take for a US port to safely support advanced nuclear technology. In Long Beach, any commercial application is carefully considered.”
Hacegaba assured his audience that the Port of Long Beach will provide “our community a voice in how this technology is used, how it’s regulated and where it goes …
“Our agreement with MARAD gives us a seat at the table so we can help shape the standards that are practical for a working port while protecting the people who live and work around it. BlueCore Energy is providing the private-sector expertise to research and develop the technology, which again, is years away from happening due to the technological advancements and regulatory hurdles that still need to be cleared.
“There is no reactor operating at the Port today, and there are no nuclear materials here. BlueCore’s work at the Port is in line with state and federal laws, and the technology cannot advance without state and federal approvals. I look forward to discussing this further with all of you in the months ahead.”
On its website, BlueCore says:
“BLUECORE ENERGY is developing small modular, water-cooled nuclear power reactors designed to operate aboard floating energy barges and deliver reliable, zero-emission power directly to ports, critical infrastructure, and cargo ship propulsion.”
Defending California Air-Quality and Shore-Power Provisions
Just as his colleague Gene Seroka, Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles, did the day before, Hacegaba was also asked to respond to actions by Republicans in the US Senate seeking to nullify California air-emissions rules requiring shore-power electrification for ships.
On August 6, Senate Republicans introduced a resolution seeking to revoke a federal waiver that allows California to enforce strict emissions standards for oceangoing vessels that dock at its ports. Supporters of the resolution assert that California’s At-Berth Regulation adds to the cost of loading and unloading containers and is therefore inflationary.
Like Seroka, Hacegaba disagreed and defended California’s air-emissions rules, noting that shore power has shielded terminals and shippers from higher oil prices, which have risen sharply since the Iran war, by allowing ships to plug into a steadier electricity supply:
“Ships have been plugging into shore power in Long Beach for well over a decade, and we’ve only seen cargo throughput increase during that time. Shore power also provides greater cost certainty for ships. As we all know, fuel is a huge variable cost. Plugging into the electrical grid is a known cost, and that sort of price certainty probably helps.
“I can tell you this: The Port of Long Beach remains committed to making our operations cleaner and more efficient to stay ahead of the competition and keep pace with leading ports around the world.”
Electrical Workers Training
He noted that, together with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the Port has launched the Seniors to Electrical Program, or STEP:
“We hope this transformative pre-apprenticeship program sparks an interest in careers in electrical work for local high school seniors. The program also moves students to the front of the line of IBEW’s apprenticeship program, which has a current waitlist of 4,500 people. And it puts these seniors on a path toward well-paying, high-demand careers that will help power America’s supply chain.
“The cranes can get taller and the technology can get smarter, but somebody still has to build, wire, operate and repair the ‘Port of the Future.’ And we want those jobs and the opportunities that come with them to benefit the next generation right here in our community.”
July an “Exceptionally Strong Month”
Hacegaba noted that “July was an exceptionally strong month” for the Port of Long Beach:
“Our dockworkers and terminal operators moved more than 928,000 TEUs, down 1.7% compared to July 2025, but still making it our second-busiest July on record. July was also the fourth-strongest month in the Port’s 115-year history, marking only the seventh time that we’ve surpassed the 900,000-TEU mark for a single month.”
Specifically, the Port reported:
- Imports dipped 0.1% to more than 467,000 TEUs.
- Exports soared 14.8% to nearly 105,000 TEUs.
- Empty containers fell 7.4% from the same period last year to about 356,000 TEUs.
The result, Hacegaba said:
“We’ve moved nearly 5.76 million TEUs so far this year, putting us 1.2% ahead of the record amount of cargo we moved in 2025.”
Toy Story
Hacegaba introduced his guest, James Zahn, Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, the official trade publication covering deals, trends and innovations in North America’s toy industry. Zahn reported on new toy trends in 2026 that included:
Squishy toys
Squishy toys called “SQZY Gel Gems” are “… doing triple-digit growth through the first half of the year … The reason why these sensory toys are hot is because they play into different interests … Neurodivergent individuals. Folks with ADHD [attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder], they use it for therapy. We see seniors using these because they want to keep their minds sharp or maybe work on keeping the dexterity of their hands going.”
Vinyl records
Vinyl records, which were believed to have been buried in the past of consumer electronics, are making a comeback:
“Vinyl is having a moment, and I sort of don’t think it’s going to go away anymore. I think it’s here to stay. And now folks want new ways to collect, so they created actual little turntables. This one came with a remix of Beethoven’s Fifth [Symphony] on a record …”
Tariffs, Oil and Counterfeits
Zahn also discussed the impact of higher oil prices, tariffs on imported toys and the menace of counterfeit toys, noting:
Oil-price impact: “I’d say the alarm bells started going off around April. Depending on where you’re at, it could be a 10% to 15% raw-materials cost increase for the oil that you’re going to put into the plastic … Because at the end of the day, the last thing this business wants to do is put things out of reach for kids and families. They want to have great play experiences that are affordable and accessible. So, if they can take that and say, okay, we got another 10% to 15% increase here, what can we do over here to lessen that impact?”
Trump tariffs: “So, the immediate tariff hit, as we all know, was, I think, very similar to other industries. There was … kind of a knee-jerk response a year and a half ago … when the first big rounds of tariffs were announced … I was calling it a yo-yo. It’s so much back and forth from Washington …
“Unlike last year, which was just clouded by uncertainty, now they have a general idea that, ‘Okay, it’s probably going to land somewhere between 10 and 30.’ So, how do we work around that? And when you have that built into the idea from day one, you can start building out products that are … essentially designed with that idea baked into them.”
Counterfeit toys: “This is a huge, huge problem. And the sensory squishy-toy category has just been hammered by counterfeits this year. I just reported on a story for The Toy Book about a week and a half ago about a massive counterfeit bust at one mall in South Carolina. More than $214,000 worth of counterfeit squishies …
“It’s such a big problem. It involves so many different people. It ends up being hard to manage from a manufacturing standpoint. There has long been the thought that there are certain dubious factories throughout the Far East [Asia] that run the day shift, making for the major manufacturers, and then the night shift, where they make it for whatever bootleggers or knockoff artists might be out there. That still happens. They can sometimes move quicker than a legitimate company because of the layers that exist within those organizations.”
