Associated British Ports (ABP) plans to install a second shore power connection at Southampton.
Following the announcement that shore power is one of the leading environmental features incorporated into the design of the port’s new Horizon cruise terminal, ABP has confirmed that the Mayflower terminal is also set to be equipped with the same ‘plug in’ technology.
This is the next step in an ongoing partnership with Carnival UK to enable sustainable cruising from Southampton and follows a £12 mill investment at the port’s Ocean Terminal in readiness for LNG-powered P&O Cruises’ ‘Iona’.
The investment has received support from the UK Government’s Local Growth Deal that provides funds to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) for projects that benefit the local area and economy.
Through this scheme, the Solent LEP has part-funded the project that means that an alternative fuel can potentially be offered or supported at each of the dedicated cruise terminals in the port.
Alastair Welch, Southampton’s Regional Director, said: “We are incredibly proud to be making another significant step as we further develop our sustainable credentials for cruise with Carnival UK here in Southampton. This is good news for the port, for air quality and for the future of cruise.”
Carnival UK President, Simon Palethorpe, said: “We are delighted to see the advance in shore power technology and the fitting of this into Mayflower Cruise Terminal. A number of our P&O Cruises and Cunard ships are already shore-power enabled and we have plans to install this capability across our fleet. We very much look forward to our return to service this summer and being able to plug into this option while our ships are in port.”
By introducing this option for cruise ships, with on board capability, to plug in while alongside, the port could start seeing CO2 emission savings of up to 863 kg in CO2 and 10.5 kg of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) per vessel call each year.
The second connection will be commissioned and installed this year.
