The EU parliament’s actions calling for a ban on greenhouse
gas emissions from berthing ships at berth is adding a renewed impetuous in the
drive towards installing shore power capabilities on ships. While the
technology for cold ironing is well established, the EU initiatives and the
overall efforts to improve the environment around major ports are contributing
to an increase in the market.
“We used to do shore power projects on ships some years ago,
but the market was too slow,” says Aleksander Askeland CSO at Yara Marine
Technologies. “Now, however, with new regulations and grants supporting
shipowner’s shore power investments, we are back in the business of shore
power.”
The EU proposed ban which would be in effect by 2030 was
included in the first reading of the proposed revisions to the MRV Regulation.
The ban would include any ships with a gross tonnage of 5,000 or more arriving
at, within, or departing from ports under the jurisdiction of an EU Member
State. Requiring the elimination of GHG emissions within less than nine years
means ships connecting to power from shore, and possibly batteries.
In addition to the EU Parliament initiative, several ports
are already introducing a ban on GHG emissions due to take effect by 2025. In
China, they are setting the rules so that shore power shall be used if a cruise
ship is at berth with onshore power supply capacity for more than three hours
in the emission control areas. Numerous ports in Europe, North America, and
Asia have also announced plans to install or expand their shore power
capabilities.
“This is a major step for the industry.,” says Askerland.
“It will cut emissions tremendously. Both GHG emissions, but also local air
pollution, like black carbon, SOx, and NOx, saving thousands of lives, cleaning
up the air in our cities.”
Responding to the renewed opportunities, Yara Marine
recently formed a partnership with NG3 to relaunch cold ironing in their green
tech portfolio. “Yara Marine’s ship-to-shore technology can help to save fuel
that would otherwise be used to power vessels while in port. According to the
Fourth IMO GHG Study, shore power can reduce overall GHG emissions from ships
quite a bit. In addition, it will contribute to better air quality in the
proximate port area, facilitate maintenance of the ship’s engines and
generators, and reduce noise from the vessel at berth,” Askeland explains.
With a focus on the IMO 2030 and 2050 targets, Askeland
believes there will be an increasing focus on new technologies that will enable
ships to meet these goals. Yara Marine Technologies says that in addition to
the renewed interest in cold ironing, it will also invest in several other
technologies that can contribute to reducing and eliminating GHG emissions.