It took only about 30 minutes to switch the electrical systems on the MT Alaskan Navigator to shore-side power. A prominent feature of the switchover was the absence of noise from diesel engines that normally keep running to keep the shipboard electrical systems in operation.
Pumping oil from one of these monsters requires the energy equivalent of a day’s worth of driving by 187,000 cars! The net savings in emissions, factoring in the pollution caused power plants generating the shore-side electricity, is 50%.
Not mandatory but…
While cold ironing is not currently mandatory, WME’s Per Thunem and Per-Erik Larsson agree that the authorities are in “a regulatory state of mind.” In Sweden, for example, there is an agreement between Swedish ports and the ship-owners association with the intention of encouraging the use of shore-based electric power. Ship owners serious about their environmental image can now get experience with cold ironing while strengthening their environmental profile and perhaps even save money compared to the day when it is mandatory.
Industrialising the offer
WME is keeping a close eye on legislative developments while working to further standardise and develop its cold ironing offer into a full-blown commercial concept. For example, many of the switchboards that WME produces are prepared to handle shore connections.