The port of
Los Angeles says it is the first in the world to provide onshore power to three separate cruise lines.
In recent weeks, ships from
Disney Cruise Line,
Princess Cruises and
Norwegian Cruise Line have all taken advantage of the port's “
AMP Mobile” (Alternative Maritime Power Mobile) technology developed specifically for the World Cruise Center.
Commenting on the development, Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa said: “The use of AMP at our World Cruise Center reduces emissions not just at the port but improves the quality of air throughout the Los Angeles region. The ability to adapt this technology to multiple cruise lines eliminates significant ship exhaust when cruise ships are at berth, and the AMP Mobile is another innovation that demonstrates our commitment to developing cutting-edge technology that can benefit port communities everywhere.”
“As the State of California recognizes the environmental impacts of operations at California’s major seaports, this program in particular deserves credit for its ability to sharply reduce ship emissions,” added 55th District Assembly member
Warren T. Furutani, who also encouraged state funding measures to help ports install and deploy costly shore-side electric power infrastructure. “I’m committed to advocating in the Legislature to streamline regulations and funding so that we can clean our air and keep our ports competitive.”
“I’m particularly pleased that port engineers were the first worldwide who came up with a way to handle the challenges of adapting to the unique needs of multiple cruise lines with different power requirements at one cruise terminal,” said Executive Director
Geraldine Knatz. “This is another important tool we are using to grow in a diverse and environmentally responsible manner.”
The port of Los Angeles has three AMP Mobiles, which were designed for the World Cruise Center by port engineers and
Cavotec, a global engineering firm. With 100 feet of lateral movement capability and a remote-controlled arm to adjust the cable crane arm to changing tides and the location of power connections on cruise ships, the AMP Mobile versatility allows for a variety of cruise ship configurations.
The World Cruise Center is also the only port where two cruise ships can be connected simultaneously. Cruise ships utilize either 6.6 kilovolts (kV) or 11 kV electrical power distribution systems to plug into shore side power. Currently the power demand of the cruise ships calling the port of Los Angeles is anywhere between 8 to 13 megawatts of power. A seven megawatt load is equivalent to producing enough electricity for approximately 1,000 homes.
The port’s AMP system installed at the World Cruise Center is capable of delivering up to 40 megawatts of power, with 20 megawatts of power delivery capacity to each of the two different ships.
In 2004, the port was the first in the world to use AMP technology for in-service container ships. Three major container terminals currently have AMP capabilities and more are expected to come on line later this year.
