MIAMI (AP) - PortMiami could reduce its carbon emissions by 35% by investing in shore power, which would allow docked ships to plug into land-based power grids instead of running their engines, an analysis of Environmental Protection Agency data found.
Emissions for both sulfur and nitrogen oxides, which are dangerous to human health, could be reduced by 67% and 99% respectively, the Miami Herald reported.
Ten years ago, Miami-Dade County considered investing in shore power.
Instead, the Herald’s analysis of dock reports revealed, that at least 15 ships with the ability to be shore-powered have docked at PortMiami hundreds of times since 2011, emitting tons of greenhouse gases.
According to EPA data, a 10-hour stay in PortMiami by a single cruise ship can produce about 48 metric tons of greenhouse gases, which is equal to the emissions of five houses in a year.
Cruise companies told the Herald they have invested in outfitting ships to accommodate for shore power and are willing to convert those that visit Miami. However they are waiting on the county to install the technology.
“It’s a win-win in our view,” Tom Strang, Carnival Corporation’s senior vice president of maritime affairs, told the newspaper. “It’s cleaner to the port; it’s better for us. We aren’t contributing to local emissions. … We’re just waiting for more ports to provide the power.”
Since its proposal in 2011, the county invested in constructing five new cruise terminals at a cost of $700 million. But none include shore power, the Herald reported.
When asked why this hadn’t been done yet, PortMiami Director Juan Kurlya told the newspaper, “I don’t have an answer for that.”
But newly elected Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said she is open to revisiting the question of shore power.
“As one commissioner there was only so much that I could do to move some of these issues forward,” she told the newspaper.
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