The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved a 30-year lease with Yusen Terminals, keeping the operator at its Port of Los Angeles container terminal through 2056, the port announced on August 27, 2026.
The terminal covers 232 acres at Berths 212-224 on the East Basin Channel, north of the Vincent Thomas Bridge. Yusen Terminals has operated at the port since 1991, which makes 2026 its 35th year there, and is owned by Ocean Network Express (ONE). Its work includes stevedoring and terminal operations.
Alongside the lease, Yusen Terminals will invest $200 million in zero-emission cargo-handling equipment over the coming years, according to the port. The terminal already runs a range of zero-emission and hydrogen fuel-cell equipment, and the port’s release lists electric top handlers, forklifts and yard tractors among the equipment types involved.
“This agreement gives us the long-term certainty to continue investing in our terminal, our people and new technology while providing the reliable service our customers expect,” said Alan McCorkle, president and CEO of Yusen Terminals. Port Executive Director Gene Seroka credited the company with stepping up when the port asked terminals to test zero-emission equipment.
What it means for shippers
- Continuity at one of the harbor’s container terminals. For importers and exporters whose containers move through Yusen Terminals, the operator and the location stay the same. A long lease takes away one source of uncertainty about where cargo will be handled.
- No immediate change to pickup. The release describes investment spread over years. It does not announce new gate hours, fees or procedures, so day-to-day drayage at the terminal carries on as before.
- Expect equipment to change gradually. As new yard equipment is phased in, terminals sometimes adjust yard layouts or issue operating notices. Your drayage carrier follows those notices; ask to be told if one affects your container.
- Know which terminal your box is at. Each terminal in the harbor has its own appointment system and rules. The terminal named on your arrival notice decides where the truck goes and what it needs, so pass that notice to your carrier as soon as you have it.
Long leases matter because terminal operators commit to large equipment purchases more readily when they know how long they will be on the site. For cargo owners the effect is indirect but real: steadier operations at the terminal and a clearer picture of how the harbor will work in the years ahead.
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Image: Downtowngal, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
