ENVIRONMENT SHORESIDE POWER
Shoreside power…
should the Caribbean give it a wide berth? Air pollution generated by emissions and the noise nuisance from ships (especially cruise ships) using their auxiliary generators while alongside is a concern for many ports worldwide. A few of these ports have addressed this twin problem by installing shoreside power, but does it really make sense for the Caribbean to follow suit?
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obody doubts the long-standing commitment of Caribbean ports in working towards a cleaner and greener environment or that they share the same worries about pollution and noise, but is solving them just too expensive for the region – especially as these problems may eventually remedy themselves? In fact, the case for doing nothing is strong. While it may be nice to have, shoreside power is eye-wateringly expensive to install and the power delivery required so huge that it’s likely to be beyond the finances and existing electricity generation capacity of many islands. Added to which, both cruise ship and container operators are now opting for LNG-powered engines (and concomitant auxiliary generators) for their latest newbuilds, so will shore-power be a relatively short-lived phenomenon and,
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