Seattle offers Shore Power for Cruise Ships

Air emissions will drop by 30 percent when ships are docked

Air emissions from cruise ships docked in Seattle will decrease by 30 percent next year thanks to a new program that provides shore power to the largest vessels homeported here.

The Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess will use shore power at the Port's Terminal 30 cruise facility during the 2005 cruise season. The ability to use electricity generated on shore means the ships no longer have to run their engines to generate power while docked, significantly reducing air emissions.

"Princess Cruises, the Environmental Protection Agency, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and Seattle City Light are to be commended for working hard to make shore power a reality in Seattle," said Linda Strout, Deputy CEO of the Port of Seattle. "We're proud to have partnered with our customer and those agencies on this effort."

The result is that total air emissions from cruise ships homeported in Seattle will decline by 30 percent while the ships are docked.

"That's a significant improvement," said Strout.

Princess invested $1.8 million to equip the two newest vessels in its fleet to run on shore power. The ships were designed and built with the goal of using shore power while berthed. The EPA has pledged $50,000 in grant money to Seattle City Light to help cover the costs of infrastructure improvements related to providing power to the ships. Juneau, Alaska is currently the only other cruise port in the world that offers shore power to cruise ships.

This voluntary move by Princess to use to shore power in Seattle follows an agreement last April by cruise lines operating here to reduce wastewater emissions and implement a new inspection and verification program covering the handling of wastewater and recyclable materials. That agreement among the cruise lines, state regulatory agencies and the Port of Seattle gives this region the cruise industry's strongest wastewater discharge rules.

"The shore power and wastewater agreements provide new protections for the environment and recognize the economic value of the cruise industry," said Strout. "They are outstanding examples of what we can achieve when government and industry work together."