The port of Shanghai is to build six electric generators at its cruise ship terminals to provide onshore power to ships at berth in a bid to reduce emissions and pollution.
The first high-voltage electric generator will undergo a trial run by September this year at the Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal, one of the city’s two cruise liner ports.
The city is to subsidise the port’s installation costs and a portion of the cost of electricity used by the liners, as well as the maintenance costs.
The quantity of pollutants in the city has risen due to the number of ships docking at the port each year and the high sulphur content of fuel burned.
Last year there were 400 cruise voyages that docked into the port of Shanghai, while this year it is expected to rise to 500. According to the city’s transport commission, the pollutants from visiting cruise liners are estimated to be equal to 3,000-5,000 vehicles and account for 8-10% of Shanghai’s particulate matter (PM) 2.5 pollutants.
Zhang Lin, deputy director of the city’s transport commission, commented: “It has become a growing pain for the city. Without proper measures, the fast increasing number of cruise liners will become more serious threats to the city’s air quality.”
Shanghai has also held the title of being the world’s largest container port since 2010. The first container ships onshore power generator has been installed at the Yangshan port and will be in operation by June 2016.
Shanghai’s electric generators are expected to be fully operational by the end of 2017.
