Cold ironing in China

While it is not one of seven terminals picked by China’s Ministry of Transport to carry out trials on cold ironing for ships at berth, APL said that QQCTUA had taken a “proactive stance” to ensure operational capability in supporting shore-side power when the regulation kicks in.

“APL is committed to ensuring regulatory compliance for business continuity as well as responsible shipping. It is critical that our terminals and vessels are equipped with efficient and necessary capabilities so that we stay compliant and continue to operate seamlessly when the regulation kicks-in,” said Jason Wong, APL chief executive officer.

The cold ironing trial involved the use of an alternative marine power (AMP) system to supply shore side power to the vessel APL Japan.

Moving forward, QQCTUA said it will continue to work together with APL to continue to review the efficiency of the technology in reducing emissions, ease of installation works and operational management in order to implement shore side power at the terminal.

The Ministry is aiming to have 90% of ships visiting the country’s major ports using shore-side power by 2020.