Port of Seattle: first US port to mandate shore power use

Following the new regulation, the Port of Seattle will become the first port in the United States to mandate the use of shore power across home-ported cruise vessels.

An order passed by the Port of Seattle Commission this June takes effect in the 2027 cruise season, three years before the Port’s previously stated goal of ushering in universal shore power use.

Shipping is widely recognised as a hard-to-abate sector due to a ship’s lengthy operational cycle and the vast distances covered. Reducing vessel emissions at berth is seen as an opportunity to address emissions. According to the port’s release, plugging into shore power reduces diesel emissions from cruise vessels at berth by 80% on average.

During the 2023 season, cruise ships using shore power avoided emitting 2,700 tonnes of greenhouse gases and 0.75 tonnes of diesel particulate matter – the equivalent of nearly 650 passenger cars driving for a year.

Noting that oceangoing vessels, including cruise ships, are among the largest maritime polluters in the Puget Sound area, Climate Policy Associate for NGO Pacific Environment, Jayne Stevenson said, “We applaud the Port of Seattle’s leadership to move cruise vessels off of dirty fossil fuels.”

Seattle is a frequent home port for cruise vessels calling at Alaskan ports and the Port said it will work with partners in Alaska, Victoria and Vancouver BC, and the cruise industry at large to explore a potential cruise-focused ‘green corridor’ from Seattle to Alaska.

Port Commissioner Fred Felleman believes marketing such investments “should also appeal to the environmental interests of travellers who have chosen to cruise to Alaska.”

In October 2023, the US Environmental Protection Agency approved the California Air Resources Board (CARB) waiver request for the At-berth oceangoing vessel rule. This regulation is seen as an important step towards ending fossil-fuelled emissions from ships at the ports. 

Ms Stevenson added, “We urge the state of Washington to implement a statewide shore power policy to eliminate air and water pollution from all oceangoing vessels at the ports and protect the health and well-being of port communities.”