Applying Cold-Ironing Regulation in Southeast Asian Ports to Reduce Emissions

asia-pacific journal of ocean law and policy 2 (2017) 296-316 brill.com/apoc Applying Cold-Ironing Regulation in Southeast Asian Ports to Reduce Emissions Nicholas Monacelli Coast Guard Legal Service Command, usa [email protected] Abstract The imo estimates that international shipping contributes 796 tons of greenhouse gases each year, representing more than 2% of the global total. While the majority of these emissions occur at sea while transiting between ports, a non-trivial amount oc- curs while ships are docked. The traditional practice has been for ships to keep their engines running while in port, primarily to generate power. “Cold ironing” is when, al- ternatively, ships in port shut down their engines and take power from the pier. While a novel concept in the shipping industry, it has been the status quo for naval vessels for nearly a century. American ports pioneered the technology, while other global facili- ties have room to improve. This research investigates the extent that cold ironing will assist in reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions in Southeast Asian ports. Additionally, it looks at the hurdles to implementation, and other alternatives. Amongst a complex web of technology and regulatory schemes to minimize shipboard emissions, the practical effects and benefits of cold ironing cannot be ignored. Keywords Cold-ironing – maritime emissions – greenhouse gases – Alternative Marine Power – Onshore Power System – shore power © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2017 | doi 10.1163/24519391-00202006Downloaded from Brill.com10/02/2021 12:30:59AM via free access <UN> Applying Cold-Ironing Regulation 297 i Introduction1 Maritime shipping is a worldwide industry, responsible for the overwhelming majority of global commerce. Similarly, maritime emissions represent a universal concern. Shipping contributes to CO2, NOx, SOx and particulate matter pollution everywhere merchant vessels ply their trade. Shipping accounts for approximately 3% of global greenhouse gas pollutants.2 As the industry and technology develop, regulators and governments continue to search for ways to mitigate the effects of maritime emissions. In some ways, the United States and Europe are far ahead of their Asian counterparts in leveraging technology to reduce the impact of emissions in their ports. Ships require electricity while in port. Traditionally, merchant vessels were required to continuously run their engines, generating pollution, to power operations. Spewing pollutants into the atmosphere at sea and in port, smoke- stacks and machinery were always “hot.” Over the last 20 years, advanced ports in the United States and Europe began requiring that visiting vessels must shut down their engines. Through technological advancements, ships can power down their engines while in port, going “cold iron.” Ships moored at these modern ports can connect into the shore side power grid, receiving electricity from the port itself. With new ways to “plug” into cleaner power sources available from the shore, some of the busiest ports in the world were able to reduce emissions from 50–95%.3 Port regulators phased in rules requiring all visiting vessels to install and use new technology if they wanted access to the port and surrounding mar- kets. These “cold ironing” regulations have been wildly successful in large ports 1 Lieutenant Nick Monacelli is a 2008 graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy. He has served around the world, including his most recent tour as Executive Officer of the seagoing buoy tender Sequoia, homeported in Apra Harbor, Guam. His operational expertise includes international fisheries enforcement, search and rescue, communications, and aids to navigation. He is currently assigned to the Coast Guard Legal Service Command in Alam- eda, California. 2 International Maritime Organization, Third imo ghg Study 2014, (London: imo, 2015), available at http://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Environment/PollutionPrevention/AirPollution/ Documents/Third%20Greenhouse%20Gas%20Study/GHG3%20Executive%20Summary %20and%20Report.pdf. 3 Corbett, James & Comer, Bryan, ‘Clearing the Air: Would Shore side Power Reduce Air Pol- lution Emissions from Cruise Ships calling on the Port of Charleston, sc?’ Energy and Envi- ronmental Research Associates, llc, 9 Sep 2013, available at http://coastalconservationleague .org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/EERA-Charleston-Shoreside-Power-Report-.pdf. asia-pacific journal of ocean law and policy 2 (2017)Downloaded 296-316 from Brill.com10/02/2021 12:30:59AM via free access <UN> 298 Monacelli including Los Angeles, Seattle, and Rotterdam.4 However, Asia has been slow to implement “cold ironing” technology and regulation. With most of the world’s largest ports, Asia, and specifically Southeast Asia, could see substantial reductions in shipping emissions through new regulations and programs. The Western approach to cold ironing serves as an example for large Asian cities to mitigate the harmful effects of air pollution in their ports. This article investigates how regulators and planners can approach using cold ironing technology in Southeast Asia. Through investigating the technology, a brief history, and the current state of the art and regulation, this paper analyzes how Southeast Asia can leverage cold ironing to substantially abate vessel emissions. ii Background The concept and technology of “cold ironing” is not revolutionary. The basic concept is that, instead of keeping a ship’s engines running to provide services and power during port, a ship is able to shut down its engineering plant. In this sense, the engineering plant can go “cold,” while connections to the shore provide the necessary power. A ship can shut down its generators, which burn marine bunker, in exchange for receiving cleaner sources of power from shore. Today, modern vessels require an immense amount of power while operat- ing in port. A large container ship can use 6 mw, while cruise ships can draw upwards of 12 mw.5 For some perspective, this equates to a large container ship using the equivalent of 100,000 60W common lightbulbs. While the amount of power that ships use may be surprising to some, it becomes obvious when one realizes the immense electrical requirements of hydraulic cranes, pumps, and air conditioning. The power requirement becomes much greater on modern mega cruise ships, which provide hotel services for 5000–6500 people.6 As 4 “Alternative Marine Power.” Port of Los Angeles, available at https://www.portoflosangeles .org/environment/amp, ‘Port of Seattle Cutes Vessel Emissions by 29 Percent Annually and Saves 26 Percent of Energy Costs per Call,’ Community 40 Cities (4 Nov 2011), available at http:// www.c40.org/case_studies/port-of-seattle-cuts-vessel-emissions-by-29-annually-and-saves -26-on-energy-costs-per-call, “Context of Transport Climate Action.” ppmc, available at http:// www.ppmc-transport.org/port-vision-for-2030-the-port-of-rotterdams-climate-initiative/. 5 Winkel, Johnsen, Hoen & Papaefthymiou. “Potential for Shore Side Electricity in Europe: Final Report.” ecofys. 2015. 6 The largest cruise ship in the world is Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas. Harmony of the Seas Fact Sheet. Royal Caribbean, see the ship characteristics at http://www.royalcarib beanpresscenter.com/fact-sheet/27/harmony-of-the-seas/. Hotel services include all of the asia-pacific journal of ocean law andDownloaded policy from 2 Brill.com10/02/2021 (2017) 296-316 12:30:59AM via free access <UN> Applying Cold-Ironing Regulation 299 floating cities, cruise ships require as much power as a small city to maintain operations. Whereas a small city may have a stand-alone power plant to generate its electricity requirements, a cruise ship generates electricity through burning fossil fuel in the form of heavy marine bunker. Today’s technology allows ships in port to “plug in” to shore services. By plugging into shore connections, ships can shut down their generators, and cut emissions. As one can imagine, shifting power to shore can result in emis- sion reductions, especially when the available energy is “clean.” In parts of the world where wind, solar, and natural gas power generation are common, ships can dramatically reduce their share of emissions. However, in other areas, where dirty coal provides most of a region’s energy, it may be overall “cleaner” for a ship to generate its own power using clean marine fuel. While cold ironing is not a universal solution, in regions where regulators encourage clean energy, cold ironing achieves substantial emissions reduction. Still, the idea of “Alternative Marine Power” (amp) or “Onshore Power Sys- tems” (ops) is becoming more attractive. Ports recognize the benefits of pro- viding clean energy to visiting ships, by keeping the local air clear of emissions. Cold ironing witnessed a jump-start as a movement on the Western Coast of the United States in response to California environmental regulations. Today, other ports in North American and Europe see the benefits of cold ironing. Port authorities have the ability to yield a wide variety of economic incentives and regulatory approaches to encourage cold ironing, with some ports entirely clearing their air from maritime emissions from moored ships. iii History While the idea of using cold ironing in commercial ports is relatively new, the concept has been around since ship electrification in the early twentieth century. Immediately after naval engineers realized the capability of electricity onboard ships, efforts quickly turned to shipboard

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