Liangshan Port in Jining, East China's Shandong province has been replacing many of its freight vehicles with liquefied natural gas (LNG) cars in order to protect the environment and reduce costs for businesses.

In 2020, the port discarded a total of 374 diesel cars and procured 108 LNG cars. Currently, new energy vehicles make up 46 percent of the port's total vehicles.

New energy vehicles are likely to be more cost-effective than conventional vehicles because the price of LNG is lower than that of diesel, according to Liu Jianqiang, a manager at the port's logistics department. He added that an LNG car can save 100,000 to 130,000 yuan ($15,465-20,108) per year compared to a diesel car.

As buying new energy vehicles requires a large investment, Liangshan Port has offered 19.4 million yuan in financial aid and pledged to help efforts to build national gas fueling stations, said Liu.

The port has also spent more than 20 million yuan to purchase and rent 10 new energy vessels from China State Shipbuilding Corporation to reduce emissions, as well as improve the surrounding environment.