Port of Vancouver now has more plug-in power!

Through the Shore Power Technology for Ports program, the Government of Canada and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) each contributed $3.5 million towards the Centerm electrical shore power facility. The project’s completion at DP World’s Centerm container terminal permits ships to shut down their diesel engines while at berth and connect instead to an electrical grid powered by cleaner energy sources.

For each large vessel using shore power instead of diesel for 60 hours, more than 95 tonnes of air pollutants and greenhouse emissions will be eliminated – the equivalent of taking 20 cars off the road for a year. The plug-in power also decreases a ship owner’s fuel costs and reduces each vessel’s noise while in port.

“Installing shore power at DP World’s Centerm container terminal represents another positive step towards improving air quality by reducing marine shipping emissions,” said Robin Silvester, VFPA’s president and CEO, upon announcing the project’s completion on Nov. 30. “We are very proud of the collaboration with the Government of Canada and our terminal operations partner DP World to bring shore power to this facility and are working to expand the program to other terminals in the Port of Vancouver.”