This past summer, the Port of Oakland and global shipping company Hapag-Lloyd conducted an initial test of the shore connection system on their vessel, Dallas Express. A final test was conducted successfully at the Port’s Oakland International Container Terminal (operated by Stevedoring Services of America) on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. Shore Power (also known as “cold-ironing”) is a shore-to-ship connection that provides electrical power to the ship, thereby reducing diesel and other air pollutant emissions from ships while they are at berth.
“The Port of Oakland’s Shore Power Program is currently estimated to cost approximately $70 million,” said Port Acting Executive Director Deborah Ale Flint. “This significant financial commitment demonstrates the Port’s environmental leadership and overall commitment toward improving air quality.”
The total combined cost of the Port’s shore power infrastructure and similar improvements being made by the private sector at the Port is estimated to be about $85 million. Significant additional cost is being borne by the private sector to retrofit the vessels so that ships can plug into the shore-side system.
“We thank Hapag-Lloyd because their commitment and efforts made this shore power project possible” said Ale Flint. “We also thank the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Maritime Administration for their $12.8 million funding contribution.”
To meet the California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulation for “vessels at berth,” one-half of a fleet’s vessel calls at California ports will be required to use shore power beginning in 2014. Eighty percent of a fleet’s visits must be shore powered visits by 2020. Some use of shore power is taking place before 2014, with retrofitted vessels like those of Hapag-Lloyd that dock at terminals already equipped with shore power.
Shore power reduces greenhouse and other combustion byproducts. These reductions in emissions significantly improve air quality and reduce health risk from diesel and other air pollutant emissions near the Port, consistent with the Port’s Maritime Air Quality Improvement Plan.
