Port Advancing Air Quality Programs

Port Advancing Air Quality Programs

May 27, 2026

By Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves Port Director and CEO -- As the Port of Galveston continues to grow, so does our commitment to environmental stewardship on the waterfront. I’m excited to share our progress to advance major air quality programs that would provide shore power and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to ships that call here.  

Shore power and clean LNG fuel bunkering would significantly improve air quality and make us an environmental leader among U.S. ports.

There has never been a better time to launch these programs. Cruise and cargo operators, energy companies, state and federal agencies, international shipping regulators and others are aligning to reduce maritime impacts. Our cruise, cargo and energy partners have shown strong interest because they share our environmental values.

Long-Term LNG Fueling Solution

The port is in negotiations with a company proposing to develop a small-scale LNG bunkering and export facility on Pelican Island to provide clean-burning fuel to the growing number of LNG-powered ships. 

I believe if we build it, the newer, environmentally beneficial ships will come because Galveston could be the first LNG fueling facility on the Gulf Coast. We’re also located within one of the busiest shipping areas in the nation.

Spurred by international mandates to slash emissions for marine fuels, cruise and cargo companies are retrofitting or building new ships capable of using cleaner fuels like LNG. Compared to traditional marine fuels, LNG cuts sulfur oxide (SOx), nitrous oxide (NOx) and particulate matter by more than 90 percent.

Clean Onshore Ship Power

When ships dock at port, they are powered with marine fuel, which generates emissions. Providing electricity to docked ships would be another big step to advance our air quality initiatives.  

We’re working with our cruise partners, Shell, CenterPoint Energy and others on a proposed public-private partnership to develop electricity infrastructure at our four cruise terminals. As proposed, the project would modernize infrastructure at zero cost to the port, prepare the port for future growth, and cut emissions.

On the cargo side, the port will launch a pilot project this year to provide shore power to ships with a $1 million grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The pilot will include establishing an onshore electricity microgrid independent of the main power grid to provide a clean portable power source to a docked ship as an alternative to using the ship’s diesel-fueled auxiliary engines. 

Improving air quality is one of our top environmental goals as a Green Marine-certified port. We could not have envisioned where our Green Marine journey would take us when we earned certification in the voluntary environmental program in 2021. With the commitment of our board of trustees and staff, we’re identifying opportunities for environmental initiatives unimagined just a few years ago.

Green Marine helps guide the Galveston Wharves and others in the maritime industry who want to reduce their environmental footprints in areas like air and water pollution, waste management, and community impacts.