Shore power
Shore power is one of the most effective techniques to reduce port-related maritime air emissions here in the Northwest. Providing shore power connections to cruise ships allows them to “plug-in” and turn off engines while at berth, significantly reducing air pollution. Because Seattle City Light is a leader in low carbon electricity (the first carbon neutral utility in the nation), there is a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
The Holland America Group, including Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, was instrumental in establishing shore power for cruise ships in Seattle in 2004 at the former Terminal 30 cruise facility. In partnership with the Holland America Group, The Port of Seattle was the first cruise home port in the world to offer two shore power-enabled cruise berths (at Terminal 91) and it’s widely used. All three of the Port’s cruise berths will be shore power capable in 2023 with the completion of a shore power connection at Pier 66.
Water quality
In 2020, the Port of Seattle banned all discharges of exhaust gas cleaning system wash water from cruise ships at berth. And in 2021, the Port worked with its home port cruise lines to pause all discharges of exhaust gas cleaning system wash water throughout Puget Sound until findings from a third-party research study can show that wash water discharges do not impact Puget Sound water quality.
Clean air strategies
For more than a decade, the Port of Seattle has partnered with the Port of Tacoma, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, and the Northwest Seaport Alliance to take voluntary action to reduce air and greenhouse emissions through the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy. This regional, multi-port agreement has achieved significant results that exceed its targets for reducing emissions. in 2021, the Northwest Ports adopted an updated strategy that establishes a new vision to phase out emissions from seaport-related activities by 2050, supporting cleaner air for our local communities and fulfilling our responsibility to help limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Charting the Course to Zero: Port of Seattle’s Maritime Climate and Air Action Plan identifies strategies and actions Port of Seattle will take through 2030 reduce emissions toward that vision.
The Port also established new a partnership between the Port of Seattle, the Northwest Seaport Alliance, and the local electric utility Seattle City Light to develop the Seattle Waterfront Clean Energy Strategy that will help create a holistic plan for decarbonizing the maritime industry in Seattle.
Learn more about the Waterfront Clean Energy Strategy
Habitat restoration
The Port currently has an ambitious goal to restore, create, or enhance 40 acres of habitat across Port properties that builds upon previous work including over 100 acres of fish and wildlife habitat. Additionally, the Port has improved the marine environment by removing or remediating more than 10,000 creosote-treated derelict pilings and over 100 acres of contaminated soils and sediment at numerous sites.
The Port is also advancing several pilot projects to enhance the Puget Sound ecosystem, including kelp conservation. At our Smith Cove Cruise Terminal site, we are testing the efficacy of kelp, eelgrass, and native oyster restoration techniques and measuring their ability to enhance resilience of our shorelines to the effects of ocean acidification.
