Port Hueneme expands shore power capacity

The Southern California port now has three electrified berths capable of supplying shore power to refrigerated cargo vessels.    Port Hueneme on Monday celebrated the completion of its electric infrastructure buildout to enable three refrigerated cargo vessels to simultaneously hook up to shore power.
   Hueneme is a small port located in Ventura County, Calif., about an hour north of Los Angeles, that primarily handles vehicles, bulk agriculture and general cargo. 
   The port electrified one wharf in 2014 at a cost of $13 million to reduce air pollution from vessels running auxiliary diesel engines while at berth. Vessels from Del Monte Fresh and Hamburg Süd, which carries products for Chiquita Fresh, have plugged into the electric grid so far.
   The second phase installation cost $3.2 million, with $1.7 million contributed by the county.
   The technology is anticipated to reduce emissions of particulate matter by 92 percent, smog-forming nitrogen oxides by 98 percent and greenhouse gases by 55 percent, the port authority said.
   Under recent California law, 50 percent of reefer vessels and half of each carrier’s fleet must be able to hook up to electric power. By 2017, the threshold rises to 70 percent.