Port of Long Beach launches Cyber Defense Operations Center

The Port of Long Beach announced the launching of its Cyber Defense Operations Center (CDOC), which “represents the Port of Long Beach's latest initiative to strengthen our cybersecurity capabilities through the use of enhanced technology,” according to Port of Long Beach CEO Noel Hacegaba.

In his May 15^th media briefing Hacegaba said:” Let me begin with a startling statistic, the Port of Long Beach blocks or stops a cyber-attack every three seconds. Let that sink in. In the last five minutes since, since the start of this briefing, our cybersecurity experts have shut down a hundred cyber-attacks.”

Role of CDOC

Hacegaba explained that: “Our CDOC is capable of detecting cyber-attacks and disarming threats to our digital infrastructure. It also doubles the number of professional personnel dedicated to combating cyber threats. And what sets our new CDOC apart is its ability to bring cyber operations and Harbor Patrol under one roof. An incident that starts in one domain moves seamlessly into another. Now, most ports with cyber teams keep those worlds separate. The Port of Long Beach runs them as one operation.”

Hacegaba was joined by Long Beach Harbor Commission President Frank Colonna who said: “I also want to thank our partner agencies for the role they play in keeping our Port and our nation's supply chain safe and secure. Today we're proud to celebrate the opening of the Cyber Defense Operations Center… Today's threats are not only on the water or at our gates. They are digital and they are real.”

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Jeffrey Novak, Commander Southwest District and Deputy Commander Pacific Area, was the third speaker. He described the priority that the Coast Guard accords to cyber security: “When the Commandant of the Coast Guard describes where we operate as a service in priority fashion, he names four places in particular: that is the Western Hemisphere, the Pacific, the Arctic and Cyber. So, three physical spaces and cyberspace as a whole domain. So simply put, cybersecurity is national security. The collaborative work amongst our partners in both the public and private sectors is the true foundation of our ability to secure our ports and waterways against any threat.”

Novak praised the Port of Long Beach for its initiative: “And with so many integral ports across the United States, a cyber intrusion here in the nation's busiest port complex could cause profound global financial disruption. And that risk is only accelerating as our partners integrate artificial intelligence and rely more heavily on operational technologies systems such as those that control vessel propulsion, those that control cranes and other systems by which we schedule and move cargoes. The potential attack surface that the adversary can take advantage of only expands. So, by opening this Center today, the Port of Long Beach is taking proactive steps to ensure that trade flows safely and securely.”

Cargo News

Hacegaba reported that cargo volumes at the Port of Long Beach were down in April: “Last month, the Port of Long Beach moved almost 818,000 TEU. That's our third best April on record. That represents a 5.7% dip from April, 2025, which was our busiest April. In history.

The breakdown was:

• Imports: “Long Beach dock workers and terminal operators handled nearly 390,000 TEUs and imports last month (were) down 7.1%.”
• Exports: Exports “soared 26.7% to nearly 119,000 TEU compared to April, 2025.”
• Empty Containers. The volume of empty containers” fell 12.6% to 309,000 TEUs year over year and with the increase in loaded exports, ships could not take as many empties back to Asia. The ship can only hold a finite amount of containers and weight now as a critical link in the supply chain.”

Last California Bound Oil Tanker Out of the Strait of Hormuz

According to published reports, the New Corolla vessel carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil from the Port of Basra in Iraq was the last California-bound oil tanker to leave the Persian Gulf before hostilities with Iran broke out in late February.

Hacegaba reported that “Just two weeks ago, the Port of Long Beach saw the arrival of the New Corolla. That was the last California bound oil tanker that crossed the Strait of Hormuz. This oil tanker signals how the conflict in Iran is reshaping shipping routes and raising the cost of gas and virtually everything consumers buy. With about 20% of our oil coming from the Middle East, we are closely monitoring impacts on California’s oil supply. Rising fuel costs are strengthening the case for energy resilience and independence and the Port of Long Beach is acting now by investing in zero-emissions equipment, clean shipping corridors and renewable energy sources as we build the Port of the Future.”