SISTER PORT AGREEMENT BONDS THE PORT OF LOS ANGELES AND ISRAEL’S THREE MAJOR SEAPORTS

Agreement is Signed on Mayor Villaraigosa’s Mission to Israel and is the First Between the Israeli Ports and the Port of Los Angeles

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — June 16, 2008 — Today Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa preside over the signing of a historic Sister Port Agreement between the Port of Los Angeles and the Israel Ports Development & Asset Company in Ashod Israel.  The Agreement was signed on the Mayor’s trade mission to the country by Los Angeles Harbor Commissioner Douglas E. Krause and Israel Ports Development Chief Executive Officer Shlomo Brieman.

The Sister Port Agreement, the tenth entered into by the Port with others around the globe, calls for an exploration of mutually beneficial initiatives and a sharing of information on best practices in the areas of port management, port security and environmental management.  Other Sister Ports of the Port of Los Angeles are: Port of Nagoya, Japan; Port of Tokyo, Japan; Port of Keelung, Taiwan; Port of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico; Saigon Port, Vietnam; Sydney Ports Corporation, Australia; Port of Valparaiso, Chile; Port of Kaoshiung, Taiwan; and Port of Busan, Korea

“The Ports of Israel and Los Angeles have so much to learn from one another, this agreement is natural avenue for sharing information and ideas and will bond us for years to come,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D.

The Agreement is a follow-up to a Port of Los Angeles delegation visit in March of this year where the ports exchanged information on the best practices on landlord port management as the Israeli port turns to the landlord model currently used by the Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s leading container port.  Under the new Agreement, the ports will exchange information and best practices on security procedures, and area that the Israeli ports excel in, and on environmental initiatives including those being put into place at the Port of Los Angeles as part of its landmark Clean Air Action Plan.

The Port of Los Angeles, also known as “America’s Port,” has a strong commitment to developing innovative strategic and sustainable operations that benefit the economy and the quality of life for the region and the nation it serves. A recipient of numerous environmental awards, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2007 Clean Air Excellence Award, the Port of Los Angeles is committed to innovating cleaner, greener ways of doing business. As the leading seaport in North America in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port generates 919,000 regional jobs and $39.1 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. A proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles, the Port is self-supporting and does not receive taxpayer dollars. The Port of Los Angeles - A cleaner port. A brighter future.