Why Shore Power Will Revolutionise the Cruising Industry
In the cruise line industry, shore power is one of the stepping stones of sustainable cruising. Designed to reduce the impact that cruise ships have on the environment whilst they are docked at port, there is a large number of cruise lines set to use shore power facilities in an effort to align with CLIA’s (Cruise Lines International Association) pledge to achieve net-zero carbon cruising by 2050.
Read on to find out more about what shore power is, the cruise ports that are utilising it and the cruise lines that are striving to introduce it throughout their fleet.
What is Shore power?
Shore power is the power that comes from a port’s electrical grid. When a cruise ship connects to it (a process that can take up to 1 hour), it powers the onboard systems, equipment and services. By using shore power, the ship doesn’t need to use its power source, whether that be diesel generators or LNG in newer ships. Not only does this reduce the amount of noise that the ship emits, but the amount of emissions it produces.
An emerging trend in the cruise industry, within the 2017 Shore Power Technology Assessment produced by the US Environmental Protection Agency, it stated that:
“Under the right circumstances when a vessel is connected to shore power, overall pollutant emissions can be reduced by up to 98% when utilizing power from the regional electricity grid, (depending on the mix of energy sources).”
As mentioned above, within the 2022 Global Cruise Industry Environmental Technologies and Practices Report, the CLIA stated that in the next five years, it’s predicted that more than 15% of the ships that are setting sail will have batteries and fuel cells built into them, alongside the predicted statistics that “85% of CLIA-member ships coming online between now and 2028 will be able to plug in to shore electricity.” Showcasing how the industry is progressing towards a net-zero carbon vision, by 2025, they hope that 3% of the world’s cruise ports will have shore power and that the emissions will be reduced by up to 99%.
Promoting the use of shore power, alongside seeking expert guidance and ensuring that there is ongoing assessment of the systems will ensure that it becomes the norm in the industry.
Which Cruise Ports Have Shore Power Capabilities?
Currently, there are 29 ports internationally that are equipped to provide cruise ships with shore power, equating to 2% of the total of ports worldwide. Examples of which include:
- Port of San Diego
- Port of Juneau
- Port of Los Angeles
- Port of Seattle
- Bergen Port
- Port of Kristiansand
- Port of Southampton
- Port of Incheon
- Port of Shanghai
Shore power capabilities are also set to become reality in PortMiami, where the Miami Dade County is collaborating with several cruise lines (including Carnival Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages to help reduce the emissions produced by them. Using a $2 million grant given by the US Environmental Protection Agency (within their Diesel Emissions Reduction Act) to build the infrastructure, this is just one step in the right direction towards more sustainable cruising in North America.
However the Port of Miami is not the only port that’s taking steps to ensure that shore power capabilities are readily available for cruise lines making stops off there in the near future. Port Everglades, the Victoria Cruise Terminal (in British Columbia), the Port of Flam, the Port of Tromso, the Port of Oslo, the Port of Tallinn and the Port of Valletta are just some of the ports that have also confirmed plans to install berths which utilise shore power.
Which Cruise Lines are Using Shore Power?
MSC Cruises is one prominent example of a cruise line that’s been promoting the use of shore power across its fleet. Since 2017, the popular cruise line has ensured that all of their ships are fitted with shore power capability as standard. But it’s not the only cruise line that is equipping their ships with it.
Three of Disney Cruise Line’s fleet (Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wonder), seven of Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet (including Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Epic), three of Royal Caribbean’s fleet (Wonder of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas and Icon of the Seas) and all of Cunard's fleet can also use shore power whilst docked at a port.
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