Open for Business—Berth 58 Ribbon Cutting Marks Grand Opening of AltaSea’s Center For Innovation
On May 29th, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass cut the ribbon at AltaSea’s Berth 58—officially opening AltaSea’s Center For Innovation and welcoming in an era of sustainable, ocean-based science, business, and education in the Port of Los Angeles.
AltaSea’s vision for making Los Angeles an international sustainable blue economy leader has centered around refurbishing Berth 58 and other historic waterfront warehouses into co-working spaces. The facilities will provide access to the research labs, offices, and dock spaces that are necessary to ocean-based research and business but often prohibitively expensive to obtain.
The Center For Innovation, composed of Berths 58 through 60, is the largest research and development facility in the world dedicated to ocean solutions to climate change. As former warehouses, the large, open buildings have proved to be the ideal environment for various science and business partners to set up modular offices and custom labs.
AltaSea’s tenants are already prepared to start working in the new facility. Blue economy companies housed at the AltaSea campus include bluetech innovator Braid Theory and sustainable aquaculture firm Pacific Mariculture. In a 6,000 square-foot lab within the center, USC’s Dr. Sergey Nuzhdin operates a seaweed lab and conducts research on regenerative aquaculture and aquafarming technologies. Other tenants are working on a variety of blue economy innovations, including underwater robotics and 3-D printers that create the components needed for harvesting offshore renewable energy.
Deep sea explorer Robert Ballard, credited with the discovery of the wreck of the Titanic, has also made AltaSea his headquarters, and docks his research vessel at AltaSea’s wharf. The business vessel for Pacific Alliance, an AltaSea partner and sustainable mussel farming enterprise, is parked there as well. Additionally, AltaSea’s wharf houses barges on which researchers from USC, UCLA, and CalTech are developing carbon capture technology.
The opening of Berth 58 is a major milestone in the $30 million renovation of AltaSea’s three warehouses. Funding has been provided by the State of California, the City of Los Angeles, the Port of Los Angeles, and various philanthropic organizations and private donors.
These donations funded AltaSea’s refurbishment, as well as the completion of a 2.2 megawatt solar array on the Center of Innovation’s rooftop that provides for AltaSea’s energy needs and powers 700 nearby homes. When the solar array was completed in 2023, former California Governor Arnold Scwarzenegger visited AltaSea to officially plug-in the panels.
Over 500 people attended Wednesday’s grand opening. In attendance were many individuals who steered AltaSea from concept to reality, including City Councilmember Tim McOsker—who was formerly AltaSea’s CEO—Congresswoman Nanette Barragan, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka, former City Councilmember Joe Buscaino, Board of Harbor Commissioners President Lucille Roybal-Allard, and Board of Harbor Commissioners Vice President Diane Middleton.
By simultaneously developing ocean-based solutions to climate change, rapidly scaling sustainable blue businesses, and providing workforce development pathways to prepare the growing needs of the ocean STEM workforce, AltaSea intends to provide sustainable development and job creation to the Los Angeles community for decades to come.
