APL announced a 47.4% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions per container transported per kilometre in 2018, compared to its base level in 2009. The result comes after the Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA) of APL’s 2018 carbon dioxide emission data by the global non-profit organization Business for Social Responsibility’s Clean Cargo Working Group.
Using electrical power for ships at berth instead of diesel-burning engines, ‘cold ironing’ can greatly reduce air pollution from ships. When ships use shore power, they connect into landside electricity for their power needs at berth, avoiding to run diesel-fueled auxiliary on-board engines. According to estimations, shore power is able to limit air pollution from ships at berth by 95%.
The German Port of Kiel officially inaugurated its first shore-based power supply plant for ships at the Norwegenkai terminal, on 9 May. With immediate effect, the Color Line’s big cruise-ferries can now be supplied with emission-free electric power from on shore.
With the shipping industry entering a new, environmentally-friendly period, stakeholders in the maritime industry are seeking for ways to reduce their ships’ emissions. Apart from choosing green fuels and scrubbers, ports come to add another solution: Cold Ironing. This is the process of providing shoreside electrical power to a ship at berth, while its main and auxiliary engines are turned off.
North Sea Port announced the addition of two new shore-based power units in Ghent, meaning that shore-side power is now available in Terneuzen and Ghent. North Sea Port is currently taking measures to improve air quality in the port, as it already provides shore-side power for inland waterway vessels. These shore-based power units were commissioned on 1 March.
One of the world’s largest container vessels, ‘COSCO shipping Pisces’, that has a capacity of 20.000 TEU, was docked at Piraeus port on February 15, after voyaging for one month from China. This is the vessel’s first voyage, after its delivery on January 15.
In November 2018, Vår Energi and Simon Møkster Shipping agreed to upgrade the supply vessel Stril Barents to reduce CO2 emissions. The upgrade involves the installation of shore power connection, along with a new battery solution for energy storage on board. Now, the shore power connection has been tested and is operational. The system for charging the ship’s battery pack will be completed during the summer of 2019.
More ships than ever are switching to landside electricity at the Port of Oakland to cut emissions. According to the Port, 75% of all ships visiting in 2018 used so-called shore power. That was up from 68% the year before. Specifically, 1,543 ships tied up in Oakland during 2018. Of those, 1,157 plugged into the landside grid to power onboard systems.
Since 2011, overall emissions have been reduced by 37%, while emissions adjusted for reduced activity have been reduced by 26%. Now Equinor aspires to reduce its emissions in the NCS supply chain from 26% to 50% by 2030, based on 2011 level.
Germany’s Port of Kiel continues to achieve growth in passenger traffic, reaching an increase of 4.2% with 2.2 million travellers. In the meantime, the port’s cargo sector experienced a decrease of 3.5% to 7.15 tonnes of cargo in 2018. The port hosted, during 2018, 169 cruise ship visits. The number is 143 more in comparison to 2017, reaching a 15.3% increase.
