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.
