Local 10 power: Local 10 members switched the “Singapore” from diesel to electric shore power on May 27th. From Left to right; Scott Anders, Melvin Mackay, Derrick Lewis, Dallas Baker, in the middle: Charlie Lincoln, to his right, Meredith Suttice, Frolin Perez, Elton Myers, Remon Tolliver, and Lee Handy.
Within three years, container ships coming to California ports will be required to radically reduce emissions by turning-off dirty diesel power generators and plugging into electric shore power.
The Port of Los Angeles led the way with this technology a decade ago, developing an approach called “Alternative Marine Power” that became operational in the summer of 2004. Since then, more ships and terminals have been outfitted to make the switch in Los Angeles. Other Ports have been slower to follow LA’s lead, but on May 27, the Port of Oakland held a public celebration to announce their first “cold- ironing” project at the APL’s terminal where ILWU members helped switch the 900-foot vessel “Singapore” from diesel to shore power.
The electric power required for these new systems is considerable –and the source of the power is even more important. For example, much of LA’s publicly-owned power currently comes from dirty coal-fired plants in Arizona and Utah – something Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has pledged to change.
Although the switch to electricity can sometimes mean substituting pollution in one location for another, the benefits to port communities can be impressive. Each ship that switches to electric power while berthed saves about 1,000 pound of nitrogen-oxide generating smog, plus another 165 pounds of sulfur dioxides and 30 pounds of tiny, dangerous diesel particulates– and that’s just in one 24-hour period, so the impact of switching all container ships is potentially dramatic.
Making the switch is expensive. APL says they spent $11 million to retrofit just five container ships and re-wire their terminal to bring in enough new power. Local and state agencies provided $4.8 million in grant subsidies to support APL’s switch in Oakland.
As more of these projects appear on the West Coast, ILWU’s Coast Committee will continue working with locals to make sure that ILWU jurisdiction is protected.