UK to roll out shore power to rein in port emissions

The UK government has announced plans to fast-track emission-cutting in ports by plugging in vessels at berth with onshore power sources.

PHOTO: Massive container ships in Felixstowe, the UK's largest container-handling port. Port of Felixstowe

“Shore power will end the outdated practice of ships keeping their engines running while anchored in port, reducing the poisonous fumes entering the air and ensuring we meet our net zero 2050 goals,” Maritime Minister Robert Courts says.

The government has not set a timeline for when it will make shore power available in the country’s ports, with some of the major ports including Immingham, Felixstowe, Southampton, London and Liverpool. It is now in the stage of calling for more evidence of shore power’s environmental and economic benefits, and the challenges that have to be overcome to scaling it across ports.

At last year’s COP26, the UK joined 21 other countries to form the Clydebank Declaration, which seeks to develop green corridors between ports and countries.

The British Ports Association’s Mark Simmonds and UK Major Ports Group chief executive Tim Morris have backed the plans, saying ports and shore power can have a central role in helping to decarbonise shipping.