179 The Port of Seattle in Washington, USA, aims to be carbon neutral by 2050 and reduce emissions from cruise operations by 80 per cent in that time. It was the first homeport in North America to offer shore power at two cruise berths, and it has provided the service at Pier 91 since 2009. As of the 2023 cruise season, 72 per cent of visiting ships were equipped to plug in. The port is now undertaking the task of electrifying its third and final terminal at Pier 66, allowing it to meet the goal of having all cruise berths electrified six years before the 2030 target established by the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy. When planning the project, the port wanted to avoid the construction work causing disruption to the waterfront. Therefore, it found an innovative solution: a 1,800-metre-long extension cable that could run along the bottom of Elliott Bay, allowing Pier 66 to connect to the Seattle City Light power supply at Terminal 46. There were three key stages to the project. First, work had to be carried out at Terminal 46 to extend the power supply and connect it to the cable that would run along the sea floor. Workers dug a trench measuring just over 900 metres long to facilitate this. Then, in January 2024, the cable was laid out across Elliott Bay in just one day, reaching a depth of about 70 metres. To ensure that the cable was laid safely and efficiently, the port worked with vessel traffic services, the coast guard and Washington State Ferries. The team is now in the final stage of the project and finishing the installation of electrical equipment at Pier 66 that will allow cruise ships to connect to the power supply. The project is expected to be completed during the summer 2024 cruise season. Once complete, Port of Seattle will be one of the only homeports in the world to offer shore power in all cruise berths and starting in 2027 the port will require every homeported ship to connect to shore power. REPORT Powering ahead The Port of Seattle is working to electrify its third and final cruise berth, six years ahead of its 2030 target Photo: Port of Seattle The 1,800-metre-long cable was laid across Elliott Bay in one day
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=