By Karen Robes Meeks
Port of Oakland Executive Director Chris Lytle told international shipping officials that the Northern California port intends to step up its efforts to reduce diesel pollution by pushing for more shore power.
“Our goal is to plug in every vessel,” said Lytle, who recently met with visiting members of the Washington, DC-based World Shipping Council.
He told the group that the port has lowered diesel emissions by 75 percent in the last 10 years, with truck emissions down by 98 percent, and added that there’s a real opportunity now on the vessel side to further reduce pollution.
“If there are ways to strengthen our Port electrical infrastructure to promote more use of electrical power from our grid, we will do it,” Lytle said. “We will collaborate with shipping lines and the marine terminal operators here in Oakland to build on the progress we’ve already made.”
Oakland is taking stock of what improvements need to be made in order to allow for more ships to use shore power, including adding more landside electrical vaults and more substations to boost power supply.
