EMEA News
Call for Shore Power to Cut Emissions in Iceland
A member of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) environmental committee is calling for new rules to limit emissions from cruise ships docking in Reykjavik, Iceland, the news site Iceland Review reports.
IAPH says a single cruise ship docked for 24 hours discharges as much nitrogen emissions as 10,000 cars.
The committee member, Þorsteinn Svanur Jónsson said Iceland should adopt new emissions rules for ships and the port should use shore power to reduce pollution from docked cruise vessels.
"According to the legislation, in Iceland you can burn fuel oil as you like, you don't need to have air injection equipment and you don't need to connect to electricity on land," he said.
Associated Icelandic Ports Captain Gísli Gíslason said shore power equipment is too expensive, and ships are only berthed for a short time, making it difficult to connect them.
"The vast majority of these cruise ships have an environmental strategy and try to burn oil in as environmentally-friendly way as possible," he said.
Ninety cruise ships are scheduled to arrive in Iceland this year, and the total number of cruise passengers visiting the nation is expected to pass 100,000 next year.
European ports including Hamburg are now in the process of adopting shore power, but the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has said it may not be an effective way of reducing emissions at all ports.
