Port of Los Angeles Provides Power to Three Cruise Lines

The Port of Los Angeles this month became the first port worldwide to provide Alternative Maritime Power (AMP) to three cruise lines, which significantly reduces ship exhaust when cruise vessels are in port. In recent weeks, ships from Disney Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line have taken advantage of AMP Mobile technology, developed specifically for the port’s World Cruise Center. The World Cruise Center is also the only port where two cruise ships can be connected simultaneously.

“As the state of California recognizes the environmental impacts of operations at California’s major seaports, this program in particular deserves credit for its ability to sharply reduce ship emissions,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “The ability to adapt this technology to multiple cruise lines eliminates significant ship exhaust when cruise ships are at berth.”

Cruise ships utilize either 6.6 or 11 kilovolts electrical power distribution systems to plug into shore power, and the Port of Los Angeles can now accommodate either. Currently the power demand of the cruise ships calling at the Port of Los Angeles is from eight to 13 megawatts of power. A seven-megawatt load is equivalent to producing enough electricity for approximately 1,000 homes. The port’s system is capable of delivering up to 40 megawatts of power, with 20 megawatts of power delivery capacity to each of the two ships. In 2004, the Port of Los Angeles started using shore power for in-service container ships.