The MSC Brunella has become the first vessel to plug in to the Northwest Seaport Alliance’s Terminal 5 shore power infrastructure in Seattle, USA. The use of clean energy from the City of Seattle’s electrical grid to power the vessel finalized the commissioning phase of the shore power project.
Terminal 5 is the first international container terminal in the NWSA gateway with shore power capability, making the first plug-in an environmental milestone for the Pacific Northwest. The shore power infrastructure will enable vessels to turn off their polluting and noisy diesel engines when berthed at the port, and instead use the local power grid to reduce harmful pollutants and emissions, and sound levels.
“The Northwest Seaport Alliance is committed to reducing maritime emissions in our harbors, and the launch of shore power utilization at Terminal 5 is an important milestone for our gateway,” said Sam Cho, co-chair of the Northwest Seaport Alliance. “We appreciate our partners, SSA Terminals, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Pacific Crane Maintenance Company (PCMC) and the International Longshore Workers Union (ILWU) Local 19 for working alongside the NWSA to ensure shore power is successful at Terminal 5.”
“Terminal 5 is an important asset to our region’s economy, adding critical capacity to the west coast that increases cargo movement through our gateway, and now reduces the environmental impact of port operations on our workers and surrounding near-port neighborhoods,” commented Deanna Keller, co-chair of the Northwest Seaport Alliance. “We thank the Washington State Legislature for their US$4.4m investment in Terminal 5 shore power and look forward to expanding shore power infrastructure across our facilities, including the upcoming installation of shore power at Husky Terminal in our South Harbor.”
The electrical installation is a key part of the Northwest Ports’ Clean Air Strategy, which aims to install shore power infrastructure on all international container terminals by 2030. To help achieve this target, the Husky Terminal in the South Harbor and Terminal 18 in the North Harbor will have shore power connections installed next.
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