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MEDIA RELEASE: SCRUBBER TECHNOLOGY SUPERCEDES SHORE POWER AS PREFERRED OPTION FOR OGDEN POINT
Substantial Investment Deemed Unsuitable for Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia: Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) is committed to protecting and improving the air quality in and around Victoria’s harbour. GVHA has been assessing the feasibility and air quality impact of shore power for plugging cruise ships into the electrical grid in Victoria. Given recent advancements and investments in new on-board technology and the implementation of regulations to improve air quality, installing shore power is not an effective solution for Ogden Point.
“Environmental protection is a priority for GVHA and we are committed to working with the cruise industry and federal regulators to mitigate air quality impacts,” said President & Chief Executive Officer, Curtis Grad. “The best solution to meet regulatory requirements and protect local air quality, both in port and at berth, is on-board scrubber technology. Shore power is a very cost prohibitive investment with limited benefits for ports-of-call like Victoria.”
Air quality monitoring in James Bay demonstrates that elevated levels of sulphur dioxide (SO2), although infrequent, generally occur when ships are maneuvering in and out of port under their own engine power. As such, shore power only has a positive impact when ships are already berthed. Federal regulators have mandated changes within the industry through the creation of the North American Emissions Control Area (ECA). The ECA requires the use of lower sulphur fuels, or equivalent means such as scrubber technology, to meet prescribed emissions targets. Technological advancements will ensure continuity of good air quality while ships are within the vicinity of Victoria harbour, not just at berth. Other factors that affect the viability of shore power include shorter length-of-stays in Victoria, as a port-of-call versus home ports, the time required to plug the ships in when at berth and the potential for reduced flexibility of the facility to accommodate next generation vessels in the future.
At an estimated cost of $9.5+ million, one side of one pier at Ogden Point could be outfitted, servicing less than one third of total cruise calls. The benefits are limited relative to cost and effectiveness.
“Industry commitments to cleaner fuel and on-board scrubber technology have eclipsed shore power as a viable air quality strategy for Victoria,” Grad continued. “Given that the vast majority of cruise ships operating in the Pacific Northwest will be equipped with on-board scrubbers by the end of 2015, it is not prudent to invest scarce financial resources at Ogden Point for marginal benefit.”
Scrubber Technology
Scrubbers are the term used to describe marine exhaust gas cleaning systems which remove sulphur oxides from ships’ engines and boiler exhaust gases. Although there are different designs, the major elements of the systems network are:
· The exhaust stream from an engine or boiler is thoroughly mixed with water (salt or fresh)
· An onboard treatment plant removes pollutants from the wash water after the scrubbing
· Sludge handling facilities in port
Along with reducing 98% of SO2 emissions, scrubbers also eliminate 80% of particulate matter.[1] Research suggests there’s a net CO2 benefit from the use of high sulphur fuel oil with exhaust gas cleaning systems.[2]
Over the past year, the main cruise lines calling in Victoria have announced their commitment to install scrubbers on many of their ships. Carnival Corporation, which owns Princess Cruise Lines, Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Lines, has announced it is installing scrubbers on 38 of its vessels from those three brands. Royal Caribbean International has six working ships in line for scrubber installations. Norwegian Cruise Lines has also committed to scrubber technology and was the first to have scrubbers on new builds.
“Cruise Line Industry Association members have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to develop and implement new technologies that help to reduce air emissions and protect air quality in the communities where cruise ships operate,” said Greg Wirtz, CLIA-NWC President. “CLIA member lines are in the process of developing and deploying exhaust gas scrubbers to reduce sulphur emissions from ships’ engines and to develop engines that run more efficiently and with reduced emissions.”
Resources:
Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems Association: Technical information about scrubbers:
http://www.egcsa.com...leaning-system/
Cruise Line Industry Association – North West & Canada: Industry association perspective
Greg Wirtz, President, 604-681-9515
