Fri 14 May 2010, 07:42 GMT

New cold ironing system launched


New system is said to be a cost-competitive alternative to current freightliner cold ironing systems.



Cochran Marine has announced the immediate availability of a new freightliner shore power system designed to cut carbon emissions at ports worldwide.

Cochran, the innovator behind the first fully-automated cruise ship shore power system, says it has transformed its technology into a high-functioning, cost-competitive alternative to current freightliner cold ironing systems.

According to the company, its automated system makes its freight shore power offering considerably different from conventional cold ironing.

Cochran says conventional systems do not have the technology necessary to stabilize the electrical voltage being delivered to a ship. Often the electrical current coming into the ship from the shore will fluctuate significantly, creating additional wear on electrical equipment that is compensating for the difference in voltages.

Cochran claims that its freight shore power system is able to easily monitor and self-adjust to ensure that the voltage being delivered to the ship is consistent, reducing wear on equipment.

Cochran's automation system is also able to monitor power consumption while the ship is plugged in, creating an easy tracking system for ports that have more than one shipping company connecting to the same shore power station.

Tracking consumption also provides a tool for ports to understand the impact that shore power is having on their carbon footprint. Cochran Marine's system is said to make carbon reduction calculations easy and provide information necessary to obtain additional funding and document results for air quality compliance issues.

"Cochran Marine's Freight Shore Power solution is the logical next step in the evolution of shore power, providing a reliable, easy to manage, environmentally responsible solution to seaport air quality problems," the company said in a statement.

The foundation of Cochran Marine's freight shore power system is its cruise ship shore power technology. Cochran's shore power system allows cruise ships to enter ports, plug in to the electrical grid and turn off their diesel burning engines without ever losing power, providing a safe, customer-friendly, reliable way to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions while docked.

The proprietary and patent pending design of the Cochran Shore Power system includes everything from ship power synchronization and monitoring to a unique cable delivery system.


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