---

The OOCL Taipei has this week become the first vessel to use shore power - also known as 'cold ironing' - when berthed at DaChan Bay Terminals in Shenzhen, China.

The Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) container ship plugged into the terminal's shore power system on 22nd January.

DaChan Bay Terminals' shore power system project was developed in response to the Shenzhen municipal government's five-year plan to convert Shenzhen into a low-carbon green port.

Back in 2014, Bunker Index reported that the Shenzhen municipal government had launched its incentive scheme of up to CNY 200 million (around US$32.5 million) a year. Under the scheme, port and ship operators have been encouraged to install and use onshore power, and ocean-going vessels to switch to the use of low-sulphur fuel of not more than 0.5 percent sulphur content while berthing.

DaChan Bay Terminals says the environment has been taken into acount during all the phases of its development, including design, construction and operation.

Launched in 2007, DaChan Bay Terminals is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dachan Bay Modern Port Development Co. Ltd, which in turn is owned by Hong Kong terminal operator Modern Terminals Ltd (65%) and state-owned Shenzhen Yantian Port Group Co., Ltd (35%).

As Bunker Index previously reported, ships calling at Shenzhen have been required to use 0.5 percent sulphur fuel during berthing since 1st October 2016. The same regulation became effective in two other ports in Guangdong Province - Guangzhou and Zhuhai - on 1st January 2017.

However, when berthing, ships calling at these ports are also permitted to use alternative measures equivalent to burning low-sulphur fuel - such as shore power, clean energy and exhaust gas cleaning systems.