APL cold-irons ships in Oakland

Singapore-based APL has become the first container shipping line to shut down a vessel’s engines to eliminate exhaust emissions at the Port of Oakland.
 

As others follow suit – and regulators say they must, cold-ironing will become a staple on California’s coast.

The 900-ft APL Singapore switched off its auxiliary diesel engines after berthing at APL’s Global Gateway Central terminal, launching APL’s program to cold-iron five vessels this year in the transpacific trade between Asia and the US. 

APL expects cold-ironing to eliminate 50,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides emissions from its ships annually in Oakland, and emissions of particulate matter should drop by 1,500 pounds a year.

The state of California has mandated cold-ironing for container ships by 2014, by which time half of a carrier’s fleet must rely on shore power when berthed in California ports.

APL is one of only a handful of carriers currently cold-ironing in California, and the only one in Oakland.