(TACOMA, Wash.) — The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) has announced the completion of shore power at Husky Terminal in Tacoma. On June 15, the terminal welcomed Hapag-Lloyd’s Kuala Lumpur Express as its inaugural shore power plug-in, a significant step in NWSA’s drive toward emission reductions throughout the gateway.
Kuala Lumpur Express is a part of the new Gemini Cooperation in partnership with Maersk, and the nearly 9,000-TEU Hapag-Lloyd vessel was the first to plug in after completion of the commissioning phase. This inaugural plug-in also makes Husky Terminal the second international cargo terminal in Washington state to be shore-power capable, following the completion of Terminal 5’s system in 2023. The NWSA’s goal is to provide shore power at all international terminals by 2030.
“At the Seaport Alliance we take our job of stewardship seriously, for both the economic and environmental prosperity of the region,” said John McCarthy, NWSA co-chairman and Port of Tacoma Commission presidenty. “Shore power is a key component of our strategy to phase out all maritime emissions by 2050 or sooner, and completion of this project is a major milestone for our gateway.”
The NWSA is guided by the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy, a multi-port commitment to collectively improve regional air quality and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. When at berth vessels produce both diesel particulate matter and GHG emissions, impacting the air quality and health of port communities. Shore power, which allows vessels to turn off their diesel engines and “plug in” to the local power grid while being worked, is the primary strategy for eliminating these emissions.
The next terminals to be equipped with this infrastructure will be Terminal 18 in Seattle and Washington United Terminal in Tacoma. TOTE, a domestic terminal in Tacoma, has been shore-power capable since 2010.
Shore power is an expensive infrastructure investment, and this project was supported by contributions from several grant programs. This project received direct support from the Washington state Legislature through a grant award from the VW Settlement Agreement Funds. Funding support also came from the EPA’s Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) and the Trans-Alta Coal Transition grant programs. Between the three grants this project benefited from just over $3 million in state and federal funds.
– Northwest Seaport Alliance
