“Both the IMO and regional lawmakers appear to be in a regulatory state of mind,” says Wilhelmsen Marine Engineering’s Per-Erik Larsson.
Cold ironing, a proven technology that lets the ship link up to shore based power, is now being evaluated by many ship owners. These are owners who are very serious about their environmental image and also want to get experience with cold ironing before it is mandatory - and perhaps more costly, Larsson continues.
Wilhelmsen Marine Engineering, previously known as the Callenberg Group, has developed what is believed to be the first commercially available solution for cold ironing applications. The system has been installed on a number of cruise ships and, most recently, on oil tankers. Oil tanker diesel power emissions illustrate well the magnitude of the issue. Using diesel generators as the power source, pumping oil from a large oil tanker in port requires the equivalent of one day’s driving by around 180,000 cars. The net savings in emissions, with shore side power plan pollution factored in, is estimated at 50%.
Larsson and his colleagues look forward to discussing cold ironing solutions with visitors at this year’s Seatrade Cruise Miami show. They are located at booth number 1829.