By
Rebecca Gibson |
China’s Shanghai port and US Port of Los Angeles have formed an eco-partnership to help expand shoreside power at Shanghai’s Wusong Cruise Terminal.
The EcoPartnership Statement of Intent was signed by Chris Cannon, director of environmental management at the Port of Los Angeles, and Jianping Sun, director-general of the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission (SMTC), which oversees the Port of Shanghai.
The SMTC said: “This new partnership and our demonstration projects will bring significant and positive impacts to Pacific ports and advance sustainable port development to maximise air quality benefits far beyond what can be accomplished by a single port.”
Over the next 30 days, the two ports will develop a plan to implement a three-year initiative for the shore power programme and ensure that consistent equipment and practices will accelerate emission reductions at both ports. Shore power enables ships to turn off auxiliary engines and use shoreside electricity to power vital onboard systems, while berthed in port. This enables them to reduce diesel particulate matter DPM, nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides emissions by up to 95%.
Los Angeles will share knowledge with the Port of Shanghai on topics such as regulations, rules, standards, policies, electricity rates and incentive programmes to promote shore power. The US port’s technical expertise will help Shanghai build on its pilot programme at Waigaoqiao Phase II container terminal as it adds shore power to the Yangshan Deepwater Port - Phase III and the Shanghai Wusong Cruise Terminal.
“We are honoured to share our knowledge and experience with the Port of Shanghai and support this progressive environmental initiative at the world’s largest port,” said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles. “We are especially thrilled to do so under the EcoPartnership Program, which is endorsed by the highest levels of both governments.”