Pier T at the Port of Long Beach, used by BP America affiliate, Alaska Tanker Co, is claimed to be the world’s first oil tanker terminal equipped with shore power (colloquially known as cold ironing) to eliminate air emissions from berthed vessels. It has been equipped with a shore power installation, which can deliver up to 8MW at 6.6kV.
Shore power allows ships to shut down their diesel engines while berthed and plug into the landside electricity grid to improve air quality. Alaska Tanker has equipped two of its vessels that regularly visit Long Beach with cold ironing equipment, enabling them to be plugged into the BP Terminal on Pier T, which supplies local refineries with crude oil.
The joint project, which was undertaken voluntarily, was completed at a cost of US$23.7 million, with US$17.5 million coming from the port and US$6.2 million from BP. Pier T became the Port of Long Beach’s second berth equipped with shore power, but the first facility in the world for liquid bulk ships. MP
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