No. GC002/08
For release - December 17, 2008
VANCOUVER, B.C. — Port Metro Vancouver will be the first port in Canada to implement shore power for cruise ships, beginning with the 2009 cruise season.
Today's announcement, which was made at Canada's largest port by the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, James Moore, and British Columbia's Transport Minister, Kevin Falcon, represents a $9-million cooperative initiative among the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia, Port Metro Vancouver, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and BC Hydro.
"Our government is working with our provincial, territorial and industry partners to invest in infrastructure projects that can improve our quality of life, encourage job creation and ultimately strengthen our economy," said Minister Moore. "The launch of the port electrification project is a clear example of what can be done to stimulate our economy when we all work together. This project is good for Vancouver and will set an example for other ports across Canada."
The initiative represents the first shore power installation for cruise ships in Canada, and only the third in the world. Representatives from each of the participating organizations gathered at Canada Place today for the formal announcement of the project.
"British Columbia is setting a new transportation standard by being the first Canadian province to have a commercial application of shore power at its ports," said Minister Falcon. "Improving air quality will make Vancouver an even more livable city and bring us closer to our government's goal of reducing greenhouse emissions by one-third by 2020."
"We are grateful for the outstanding support and cooperation of all the participants in this initiative," said Captain Gordon Houston, president and chief executive officer, Port Metro Vancouver. "The installation of cruise ship shore power at Canada Place demonstrates the port's commitment to implementing valuable environmental programs and allows us to remain competitive with other West Coast ports in the provision of this innovative technology."
Shore power is a highly effective way to reduce marine diesel air emissions by enabling ships to shut down their engines and connect to the electrical grid in order to provide necessary power while docked.
Activities at Port Metro Vancouver generate 132,700 total jobs across Canada and $10.5 billion in gross domestic product. The port hosted 254 cruise ship visits in 2008. Each cruise ship that docks in Vancouver contributes $2 million to the local economy.
A backgrounder is attached.
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Rationale
Port Metro Vancouver is committed to long-term sustainability and has implemented several initiatives designed to integrate environmental, social and economic sustainability considerations into all operations. Shore power is one of many emission reduction measures being considered at Port Metro Vancouver.
The cruise industry is leading the shipping industry in addressing air emissions by developing a number of environmental initiatives: low-sulphur fuel, bio-diesel, seawater scrubbers and shore power. Shore power is unique in that it virtually eliminates all vessel emissions while docked. Building cruise ship shore power at Canada Place will allow Port Metro Vancouver to continue to be on the leading edge of environmental protection and will also help the port remain competitive as other West Coast ports implement cruise ship shore power.
Key objectives
The main objective is to reduce air emissions of cruise ships while at dock. Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and criteria air contaminants (CACs) will reduce contributions to climate change, and help maintain and improve air quality. As a result, shore power contributes to improving public health, the environment and the economy. In addition, there is the potential to recover investment costs over time through operational and fuel cost savings.
The 2009 season will see approximately 60 calls of shore power-enabled ships. With five shore power-enabled Princess vessels calling Vancouver, a total of more than 40 times, as well as one Holland America Line shore power-enabled ship calling 20 times, shore power can save between 1,000 and 1,150 tonnes of marine diesel over the entire cruise season, based on available fuel consumption estimates provided by the cruise lines. It is estimated that over the next 10 years, as ships continue to connect to clean electricity, fuel savings will double and environmental benefits will increase, in particular as Holland America Line continues to retrofit other vessels in its Vancouver-based fleet.
The Canada Place shore power project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3,200 to 3,700 tonnes in the first year of operation alone. There will also be additional reductions of CACs by 110 to 130 tonnes, including particulate matter, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and ammonia emissions. These reductions could make a significant contribution to meeting British Columbia's newly set targets of reducing GHG emissions by 33 per cent below current levels by 2020.
Project Activities
The implementation of shore power at the Canada Place cruise terminal will entail the following construction on the east and west berths:
- Installation of primary switchgear (including BC Hydro meters) at the property line on the southeast corner of Canada Place.
- Installation of overhead conduit and high voltage cables over the roadway on the east side of Canada Place at the underside of the 10-kilometre level.
- Site preparation, including minor demolition on the west berth.
- Construction of a rated enclosure for each transformer, one on the east berth and one on the west berth.
- Installation of secondary switchgear and a capacitor bank for each berth.
- Installation of a jib crane at the dock face for each berth.
- Installation of conduit and cables under the dock on the east and west side of Canada Place.
- Commissioning and testing.
Below is a preliminary drawing showing the equipment location on the existing footprint of Canada Place
Port Metro Vancouver Project Contacts
