Shore power saves on fuel and eliminates what would otherwise be diesel emissions associated with health risks. Shore power is a key element of the State’s Goods Movement Emission
Reduction Program, the Port of Oakland’s Maritime Air Quality Improvement Plan adopted in 2009, and one of the principal methods of compliance with the California Air Resources Board (ARB) regulation for “vessels at berth”. The $5 million from the MSIF will contribute to the construction of shore power infrastructure at the first three berths in the Port’s shore power project. “In March 2008, the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners set the goal of reducing the health risk from seaport sources of diesel emissions
by 85% by 2020,” said Port of Oakland Executive Director Omar R. Benjamin. “We want to thank the Air District for helping us get closer to reaching that goal with this funding.” Benjamin added, “Shore power is critical to both cleaning up the air and maintaining revenues at the Port so we can continue delivering economic benefits to the region and State. In December 2007 the California Air Resources Board approved a regulation to reduce emissions from diesel auxiliary engines on container, passenger, and refrigerated-cargo ships while berthing at a California Port. Fifty percent of a fleet’s visits to a port must be shore power visits by 2014. Eighty percent of a fleet’s visits must be shore power visits by 2020. Fleet operators visiting California ports will be required to turn off auxiliary engines and connect to clean shore power (most likely an electrical grid) or use alternative control technique(s) that achieve equivalent emission reductions. “Shore power is one of the most effective ways to reduce emissions from vessels at the Port of Oakland,” said BAAQMD Executive Officer Jack Broadbent, “These projects will significantly reduce pollution and improve air quality.” According to the Air District, installation of shoreside power at three berths at the Port of Oakland will reduce an estimated 33 tons of pollutants and particulate matter annually. The Port and its tenants will need significant funds to help finance
shore power infrastructure and ensure delivery of this important initiative. Historically the Port’s principal funding sources for
maritime environmental improvement activities have been operational revenues and bond funding secured by such revenues. Because these revenue sources are insufficient to meet the needs of the new shore power project, the Port is pursuing and leveraging new funding and financing mechanisms, including grant funding such as the MSIF. So far approximately $40 million has been identified in grant funding, of which approximately $13 million has been secured by the Port, including the $5 million just approved by the Air District. “We estimate that it will cost $90 million for planning and building the land-side infrastructure needed to supply shore power at the Port of Oakland,” said the Port’s Senior Maritime Projects Administrator Delphine Prévost. The total combined cost of the Port’s project and the private sector shore power improvements at the Port is estimated to be more than $100 million. Prévost added, “This $5 million grant isa big help to getting the project started, though much more funding is needed to complete the project Port-wide. Additionally, the maritime industry is reportedly investing approximately $1 billion in private funds to retrofit their vessels to plug into the power grid when docked at California ports.”

The repower project will replace the non-regulated and Tier 1 diesel generator sets originally installed on the RTGs with advanced power generation equipment featuring cleaner, more efficient Tier 4 Interim certified Cat C15 engines.  To further reduce fuel consumption and emissions, the RTGs will be outfitted with new controls that will automatically shift the engines between idle and higher operating speeds to optimize efficiency and meet variable load demands.

“A key part of the Georgia Ports Authority’s mission is to maintain the natural quality of the environment, and this repowering project will significantly reduce emissions and our fuel consumption,” said Curtis Foltz, GPA’s executive director. “It is critical for us to demonstrate global excellence in all aspects of our operations as we look to nearly double port capacity within the next ten years, and these diesel generator sets from Caterpillar will help us fulfill our commitment to environmental leadership while increasing our productivity.”

The use of the new Cat generator sets in the 17 cranes is expected to reduce emissions of NOx by more than 60 percent and emissions of particulate matter by more than 80 percent. Once complete, GPA expects the RTG repower project will reduce total annual diesel fuel consumption by 129,200 gallons.

“As one of the leading port facilities in North America, the Georgia Ports Authority has a well-deserved reputation for making quantum leaps in productivity while maintaining the highest standards for sustainability and environmental responsibility,” said Eric Arnold, vice president for the Power Systems division of Yancey Bros. Co.  “By leveraging Caterpillar’s advanced technologies and Yancey’s considerable hands-on expertise, this repower project will substantially extend the lifetime of the Port of Savannah’s busy fleet of RTGs through state-of-the-art generator sets that will increase efficiency and dramatically reduce emissions.”

Designed for standby, prime and load management applications, the diesel generator set powered by the Cat C15 engine offers highly competitive service intervals, fuel consumption rates and power density.  With ratings of 500 ekW (standby) and 455 ekW (prime), this is the first mid-range generator set from Caterpillar available with Tier 4 Interim certification.  Utilizing an electronically controlled air management system, the advanced emissions control on the engine lowers combustion temperature and decreases NOx output, meeting EPA-regulated levels without the need for aftertreatment. 

“With millions of dollars in research and development validated by nearly one million hours of testing, Caterpillar has demonstrated its leadership in Tier 4 Interim//Stage IIIB technology,” said Robert Koval, global product director of Caterpillar Electric Power Division.  “The repowering project at the Port of Savannah illustrates the economic and environmental benefits customers can achieve as a result of Caterpillar’s investment in cleaner engines and integrated emissions reduction techniques.”

Caterpillar is a leader in the power generation marketplace with power systems engineered to deliver unmatched durability, reliability and value.  The company offers worldwide product support, with parts and service available globally through the Caterpillar authorized service and dealer network.  In addition, dealer service technicians are trained to service every aspect of Cat equipment. 

In the past, the port’s rail department and temperature-controlled examination facility have repeatedly taken the title, however for the first time an entire operational shift has won the trophy.

The members of ‘B’ Shift, which includes berth operators, crane drivers, internal movement vehicle drivers, and terminal managers, managed to reduce of the number of accidents by 15% during the year. The trophy was presented by Mr John Bubb himself, after whom it was named in honour of his support and commitment to improving safety in the port.

David Gledhill, Chief Executive Officer of Hutchison Ports (UK) Ltd, which owns the Port of Felixstowe, said:

“There is no level of accidents that we consider acceptable, even one accident is one too many. It is, however, a massive achievement for an entire shift to win this award and to achieve a reduction in accident rates on this scale, and I would like to thank them all for their efforts.  It is by continuing to raise the profile of health and safety that we can improve, and make our working environment as safe as possible. The Port of Felixstowe has a dedicated team of safety professionals who work closely with all departments to help make the port a safe place to work.”

The port has recently celebrated being awarded the OHSAS 18001 Safety standard, confirming its commitment to the overall safety of its staff. OHSAS 18001 is an Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series for health and safety management systems. It is intended to help organizations to control occupational health and safety risks.

The operating result (EBIT) rose by 61% to € 401.9 million (2009: € 249.3 million). Our core Dredging & Earthmoving activities achieved an exceptionally strong result, partly due to the good quality of the projects in the order book, a successful operational year and the settlement of a number of projects. The result also included a pre-tax gain of € 33.6 million in connection with the settlement of a number of long-running insurance and other equipment-related claims. In addition, the operating result (EBIT) included a contribution from the SMIT business units of € 72.1 million, net of one-off acquisition-related expenses. The result from the SMIT activities was lower compared to the same period of last year. The total order book, including the SMIT order book, stood at € 3,248 million at the end of 2010 (end-2009: 2,875 million).