Americas News
"Long-Term Concern" Raised Over Cold-Ironing Rules
With California rules requiring vessels to use shore power officially taking effect Wednesday, some local players are questioning the demands the program places on the supply of electricity, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
"The long-term concern is the availability of power and at what cost?" said John McLaurin, president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA).
"I think those two issues will have to be looked at on an ongoing basis.
"If the power is interrupted, even for a brief period of time, you're basically going to be shutting down terminal operations for an extended period of time."
Rick Cameron, acting managing director of Environmental Affairs and Planning at the Port of Long Beach, said the fact that a local power plant shut down in 2012 exacerbates concerns about the supply of electricity.
"It's a question mark not only for the ports, but for the region," he said.
"I think in the near-term we'll be OK, but the bigger question is long-term."
McLaurin noted that the cold-ironing rules, which demand that vessel operators use shore power for at least half of their fleet and reduce emissions by at least 50 percent, are the first of their kind anywhere in the world.
California regulators have given shipowners a six-month window of flexibility to comply with the new rules, saying they will not be penalised if they have made a "good-faith" effort to adopt shore power.
