SEATTLE — Port of Seattle Commissioners passed an order that will require cruise vessels homeporting in Seattle to plug into shore power by 2027. The Port says it will become the first in the nation to require shore power independent of state regulations.
"This will be contagious," said Port of Seattle Commissioner Fred Felleman, who sponsored the proposal. "We will show the feasibility of doing it, we will show how port investments make it easy for cruise lines to take advantage of their investments, and once we show we can do it, there will be much more of it around the world."
The Port is not a regulatory agency, but can set requirements for its long-term agreements with cruise lines. Originally, the Port had set a goal of 2030 to have all cruises using shore power; this accelerates that timeline.
According to a news release from the Port of Seattle, "plugging into shore power reduces diesel emissions from cruise vessels at berth by 80% on average." The port says during the 2023 cruise season, shore power helped reduce the equivalent of hundreds of passenger cars driving for a year.
Infrastructure for shore power in Seattle has been in the works for years. Carnival Corporation invested in shore power at two cruise berths in 2004, and the Port is now finalizing work at Pier 66.
"We had to lay a mile long underwater cable in order to get power to the berth," said Port of Seattle Maritime Division Managing Director Stephanie Jones Stebbins. "Where that cruise berth is located in downtown Seattle is hard to get to, so it took an innovative approach and partnership with the utility to make that happen."
The Port is also working in conjunction with cruise ports in Alaska and Canada to explore strategies for "the world's first cruise-focused Green Corridor" from Seattle to Alaska.