EMEA News
MPs Back Call for Cold Ironing at New London Cruise Terminal
The House of Commons Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Committee has stepped in to back calls for shore power facilities at a new UK cruise terminal planned for Greenwich, London.
Opposition groups had demanded shore-based power be made available when the project was approved last year, with the matter escalating to the point earlier this month of facing a high-court challenge from local residents.
The cross-party Committee this week has now backed the call for cold ironing.
"Shipping is responsible for producing only a small proportion of emissions, but in pollution hot-spots such as London action is needed to tackle emissions from all sources," the committee said.
"Local authorities must calculate the additional impact on air quality of all new development; planning permissions for new shipping facilities must require appropriate mitigation measures from developers. This should include, where practicable, a requirement to provide infrastructure to supply electricity to ships at berth."
Local media quoted Conservative MP and mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith as saying: "Clearly there should be an on-shore power unit. Levels of air pollution are far too high in our capital."
The facility, set to be constructed at Enderby Wharf on the Greenwich peninsula, in hoped to be completed by 2017 and will be able to handle up to 60 cruise ships a year.
The London cruise terminal is not the only such project facing calls for shore power.
Earlier this month Ship & Bunker reported that Charleston, U.S. councilman Mike Seekings is amongst those pressing for shore power to be made available at a $35 million passenger cruise terminal proposed by the South Carolina Ports Authority.
