APL readies ships for shore power

APL readies ships for shore power       APL said it has completed the retrofit of five C-11 containerships to use electric power generated on shore and reduce air pollution from diesel engines when in port.
      APL said it would begin “cold-ironing” ships when they call at its marine terminal in Oakland early next year. Cold-ironing is industry jargon for turning off a ship's diesel generators at berth and connecting instead to cleaner shore-side power.
      By shutting down shipboard generators in Oakland, APL expects to eliminate 50,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide emissions annually. Nitrogen oxide is a leading component of smog. The carrier also expects to eliminate 1,500 pounds of particulate matter emissions a year.

Five APL containerships have been retrofitted for 'cold-ironing,' or use shore-side power instead of the ships' diesel generators.

      'We are committed to reducing the impact of global trade on the environment,' said APL Americas President Gene Seroka. 'Equipping our vessels for cold-ironing is tangible evidence that we are advancing on the goal.'
      APL performed the retrofits at the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore and is electrifying its Oakland vessel berths for cold-ironing.
      APL was been awarded two grants, totaling $4.8 million, for the cold-ironing project. Part of that funding helped finance the month-long retrofit of each ship, which involved installation of transformers that can step down 6,600-volt shoreside power to the 480-volt power used aboard ships.
      Each ship had a room-size enclosure installed to house the receptacles where shore-power cables are connected to the vessels along with 8,000 meters of cabling that run from the receptacles through the transformer and into the vessel's electrical control panel.