The Port of Long Beach's Green Flag and Green Ship annual awards honored 20 shipping lines for efforts to improve air quality. Efforts to improve air quality locally were accomplished by slowing ships down or deploying cleaner vessels, or both. The Port’s Green Flag Program was created in 2005 and participation today is nearly universal. In 2012, almost 96 percent of all ships calling at Long Beach slowed to 12 knots within 20 nautical miles of the Port. In 2009, the Port added the 40 nautical mile option and last year, more than 83 percent of vessels slowed from 40 nautical miles.