Officials expand clean-fuel shipping zone off Los Angeles, Long Beach

The move was made after the Navy complained cargo ships were trying to skirt pollution regulations by traveling through its Point Mugu Sea Range testing area instead of going through traditional shipping lanes, the newspaper reported.

The increase in ship traffic as a result was "seriously jeopardizing successful completion of vital Department of Defense testing and training missions,” the Navy said, according to the Times. The number of ships traveling through Navy area increased from two a day to up to 15 a day, causing delays than can cost as much as $30 a million a day, the Navy said.

At least 40 percent of U.S. imports go through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

California’s clean-fuel zone, which took effect in July 2009, requires oceangoing vessels to substitute bunker fuel for less-polluting alternatives. The original zone encompassed a 24 nautical mile-wide area, including traditional shipping lanes between the Channel Islands and the shore, the Times said.