Fathom Spotlight: Switch Off and Plug In

ShoreBox is a ready-to-use, ‘plug-and- play’ system which provides shore-side grid power to ships at berth via a direct connection to the port’s electrical network

In this week's industry spotlight Fathom delves into the technology realm of 'plugging into green power' with the help of shore power experts Schneider Electric, who this year unveiled an innovative and distinctive shore-to-ship power connection solution: ShoreBox.

Ships spend a sizeable proportion of time moored in harbours and ports. Merchant vessels, for example, spend around 100 days a year at berth. Most large ships keep their engines idling when they are docked to generate electricity for their onboard living systems. Their auxiliary engines are constantly in operation and they are therefore producing emissions the whole time.

This explains why port activities account for a high percentage of a ship's total air pollution. The Climate Institute (2010) estimates that over an eight-hour stay in port, a ship can emit over 2.5 tonnes of pollutants.

Another study by Dalsøren et al. (2009) found out that emissions due to ships' activities in or around ports account for 5% of total emissions from navigation activities. According to 2009 emission data from the Roadmap for Moving Forward with Zero Emission Technologies at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles issued in August 2011, ocean going vessels now account for 43% of all nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 60% of all diesel particulate matter (PM) from port operations.

Hong Kong considers emissions from berthed cruise and cargo ships to be the biggest cause of its air pollution. According to figures from the Los Angeles Air Quality Management District (AQMD), emissions from berthed ships account for 700 premature deaths every year. In the European Union, international shipping pollution is expected to outstrip land-based sources by 2020.

Pressure to reduce air pollution in ports

Just like the whole shipping community, port operators and authorities are facing a plethora of pressures from a multitude of stakeholder groups to reduce emissions of SOx, NOx, CO2 and particulate matter (PM) in their designated port areas. As a results many are looking to adapt their port infrastructure and introduce new initiatives and best practices.

The development of turnkey solutions for alternative energy sources for ships at berth is vital to reduce the negative impact of port emissions on human health and the environment. Therefore, many ports are now looking to set up the infrastructure that will allow ships to switch off their generators and draw power from the local electricity supply. This practice is termed 'cold ironing' and is frequently referred to as ships 'plugging in' or AMP alternative Marine Power.

Cold Ironing

'Cold Ironing' refers to the process of providing shore-side electrical power to a ship at berth while its main and auxiliary engines are turned off. It permits emergency equipment, refrigeration, cooling, heating, lighting and other equipment to receive continuous electrical power while the ship loads or unloads its cargo.

Shore-connection systems have been used since the 1980s to supply commercial vessels with electricity. Ferries were the first vessels to be equipped with the systems, due to the fact that they always dock in the same position, facilitating connection to a shore-side energy supply.

Today, other types of commercial ships, cruise, container, and Ro-Ro, are connecting to the electrical grid in ports around the world.

Innovation within this field is amassing - the heavyweights and global specialists of energy management are throwing everything they have at R+D to develop the best solutions.

One of these heavyweights - Schneider Electric - recently unveiled an innovative and distinctive shore-to-ship power connection solution: ShoreBox.

ShoreBox

ShoreBox is a ready-to-use, 'plug-and- play' system which provides shore-side grid power to ships at berth via a direct connection to the port's electrical network. This connection allows ships to save money and enables both ships and ports to meet environmental directives and regulations in the most profitable way.

"ShoreBox is a fully integrated, portable, turnkey system, installed in less than seven months from order date, and suitable for any type of port and any vessel" said Jack Hawkins, Marine Segment Manager, Schneider Electric.

To support the growing pressures from the shipping community for cold-ironing infrastructure at ports, Schneider Electric believe that a modular based system that can be built up or reduced according to demand is the way forward. That is why they have designed ShoreBox as a modularised build: think extravagant Lego but for shore power connections!

Schneider Electric can also install and commission the ShoreBox on site within two weeks without disturbing port activities. This is thanks to the fact that it is comprised of standard Schneider Electric components and arrives to site fully tested, validated and documented. It can be relocated should the port's requirements change and adapted to a port's local needs. It is a very flexible solution that can be ready to work in an extremely short amount of time. Pretty impressive for a highly complex box that looks like a container!

The ShoreBox solution is adaptable to the different power demands and electrical frequency of the ships and due to a Static Grid Frequency Conversion system, ShoreBox only transfers the energy needed at any given moment - no more, no less.

As a company that invests heavily in R&D, Schneider Electric are certainly putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to this emissions and fuel consumption reducing technological solution.