Wed 16 Sep 2009, 11:12 GMT

Mobile cold ironing for Oakland ship


Patented mobile shore-side power is provided to container vessel at California port.



Maritime environmental firm CleanAir Logix, Inc. of Oakland, California was recently contracted by global shipping company APL Maritime, Ltd. to provide shore side power for their container vessel, the APL Korea at Eagle Marine Services’ Global Gateway Central Terminal in the Port of Oakland.

Utilizing their patented mobile “Cold Ironing” technology, (the practice of supplying shore-side power to a vessel while at berth) CleanAir Logix successfully supplied clean, reliable and safe electrical power to the vessel. This mobile system which is said to reduce total harmful emissions by some 89% is powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel rather than diesel or “bunker” fuel.

The APL Korea, a 900 foot container vessel was undergoing repairs while at the Port of Oakland beginning on August 4, 2009 and needed auxiliary power for the vessel systems. Upon receiving notification from APL, the world’s eighth-largest container carrier, CleanAir Logix was able to immediately position their patented “Cold Ironing” technology alongside the vessel.

“Cold Ironing” by CleanAir Logix for seventeen days from August 11, 2009 until August 27, 2009 achieved total estimated emission reductions of 5,041 lbs of NOx, 204 lbs. of CO, 153 lbs. of PM10, 867 lbs. of SOx, and 203,686 lbs. of CO2. These emission reduction estimates are based on a comparison between onboard diesel fuel commonly utilized and LNG fuel as illustrated in the California Air Resources Board (CARB) documentation for a typical container ship. Daily estimated emissions reductions are equal to approximately 1,800+ short haul truck trips in the Port environment for each day of Cold Ironing operation.

“APL is a recognized leader in environmental stewardship with a commitment to the community that is highly commendable,” said Robert Cross, CEO of CleanAir Logix, Inc. We are very pleased to be working with them to achieve CARB 2020 emission reduction targets today. CleanAir Logix has worked with APL on various environmental projects since December of 2006.

The CleanAir Logix patented mobile shore-side “Cold Ironing” system is specifically designed for maritime applications. However, the system is chassis mounted and can be moved from site to site which allows it to be utilized for any application needing temporary clean, reliable and safe electrical power.

“Virtually any industrial application can be served at the voltage, cycles and amperage required” said Dana Markle, SRVP of Engineering & Operations.


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