Princess 1st to use new Vancouver power system

[jleq]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20090901/bs_prweb/prweb2817464_1

[RickEk]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20090901/bs_prweb/prweb2817464_1

 

Check this link...

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/princesscruises/

 

And kudos to Princess for pioneering this technology. It'll help the air quality in the ports that are so equipped.

[Putterdude]

I found yesterday's news announcement interesting....it was first announced back in December by the Vancouver port authority. I guess it was just a slow news day and someone decided to rehash it.

[RickEk]

I found yesterday's news announcement interesting....it was first announced back in December by the Vancouver port authority. I guess it was just a slow news day and someone decided to rehash it.

 

Well, apparently no cruise ships dock in Vancouver in December... :p I'd bet that's when they were installing the infrastructure to support this initiative. Apparently the Island Princess was the first ship to actually utilize it...

[Colo Cruiser]

News Article

 

8/31/2009

 

 

Princess Ships Start Plugging into Shore Power at Port of Vancouver

Island Princess Inaugurates New Canada Place Facility to Reduce Air Emissions

 

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (August 31, 2009) -- Today Island Princess helped inaugurate the Port of Vancouver's new shore power facility by turning off its engines and instead "plugging in" to clean hydroelectric power from shore.

The new shore power technology at the Canada Place cruise ship terminal enables Princess Cruises' ships, and other equipped vessels, to use power from the city's grid instead of the onboard diesel-powered engines, reducing emissions when docking in Vancouver.

The port becomes the third in the world where Princess Cruises' ships can take advantage of this innovative technology. The new shore power installation is the very first use of this technology in Canada and is the result of a $9 million cooperative partnership among Port Metro Vancouver, Transport Canada, Western Economic Diversification Canada, British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, British Columbia Hydro, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises.

"We've been committed to shore power for many years, so we're pleased we can now 'plug in' our ships at Port Metro Vancouver," said Charlie Ball, president of Princess Tours. "We know that local air quality issues are important to the community, and we're proud to join with all those involved in realizing this important environmental initiative."

Princess' shore power program made history when it debuted in Juneau, Alaska in the summer of 2001. It expanded to Seattle in summer 2005 and is planned to roll out in other ports that have made commitments to the technology, including Los Angeles and San Francisco. Currently nine of the line's ships are outfitted with the capability to "plug in" to a shoreside power source.

Four Princess ships will use shore power in Vancouver during the remainder of the 2009 Alaska season. The vessels -- Coral Princess, Diamond Princess, Island Princess and Sapphire Princess -- sail on seven-day Gulf of Alaska cruises.

To create this unique power system, Princess has outfitted its ships with custom-built connection cabinets that connect the ship's electrical network to the local electrical system ashore. Since 2001, Princess has invested nearly $7 million in equipment alone to enable its vessels to connect to shore power. The ships currently equipped with this technology include: Coral Princess

Dawn Princess

Diamond Princess

Golden Princess

Island Princess

Sapphire Princess

Sea Princess

Star Princess

Sun Princess

 

Also known as "cold ironing," shore power uses electrical power transmitted from a landside transformer to the vessel via four 3½-inch diameter flexible electrical cables. The actual cable connection on a vessel is a traditional, though quite large, plug and socket. The length of time needed to connect a ship to shore power and shut down the vessel's diesel generator is approximately 40 minutes. Once connected, the ship's engines are powered down and, simultaneously, the necessary amount of power, provided by BC Hydro, will be used to run the ship's services while in port. Photos of Island Princess plugging in can be found at:

[NotWthOutablcony]

Wow that's great! I love that Princess has taken the lead and has made an example of themselves! Thanks for the article!

[Putterdude]

Well, apparently no cruise ships dock in Vancouver in December... :p

 

You right there are no cruise ships in Vancouver in December but here is the a link to the announcemet dated December 17. 2008.

http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Cruise+ships+plug+into+shore+power+Vancouver/1087505/story.html

[ceilidh1]

It made the news yesterday as that was the first day that it was officially used. They have been getting ready for it and testing it out gradually, but they actually switched over to shore power yesterday. Happily, it did not disrupt any of the goings on at the port - we were concerned that we may lose power during check in but all was well...

[Colo Cruiser]

we were concerned that we may lose power during check in but all was well...

 

Do you live at the pier? :eek:

[cruisingallover]

Congrats Princess :D

[BayCalif-Ariz R Us]

Princess has been slowly added shore power interface on its ships. There are a few ports now offering shore power service. The current ships that Iknow about having shore power interface are the Golden, Sapphire, Star, Diamond, Coral, Island, Sun, Sea, and Dawn.

 

Alan

[ceilidh1]

Do you live at the pier? :eek:

 

I live about a block away from the pier, but I work shoreside for Princess during cruise season!

[Putterdude]

I live about a block away from the pier, but I work shoreside for Princess during cruise season!

 

Did the lights dim when the switch was turned on?;)

[Cruise Junky]

I lost power this morning, but there's no Princess ship in today, so I can't blame them ;)

 

Did you see the plugs? they look really cool.

[Putterdude]

I lost power this morning, but there's no Princess ship in today, so I can't blame them ;)

 

 

So you forgot to pay your Hydro bill,eh.;)

[Cruise Junky]

So you forgot to pay your Hydro bill,eh.;)

 

I don't know, it was back on in 5 minutes ;) No idea what caused it.

[c-legs]

Hi,all

 

The infrastructure needed for this new process had been .....g r a d u a l l y ,...and s l o w l y :rolleyes: installed ever since last April. One must remember there is still a certain....''bureaucracy '' around what is, ( Canada Place ) still a federal government-operated venue....Things do NOT happen quick......:rolleyes:

I remember seeing the crates at the end of the pier, where they stayed for .....a ...w h i l e....THEN were opened up, distributed, THEN the whole thing started taking shape.....THEN one could recognize the apparatus for what they were.....THEN the installation was complete for further ......useage& testing....by then, it was late June. Week after week, nothing was happening other than our local seagulls population ensuring a solid decorative ''value-added'' component. Of course, testing, and tests being tested, and testers being tested....and finally, Spark happens !!!!:cool:

Still, this is a brilliant improvement and forward thinking step. Congrats to all who were involved.

( now....I wonder....a huge thunder storm erupts....lightning strikes...power goes pfffitt....hmmm......a first in the industry: ship late departing due to a power shortage.....I can hear the screams now: '' we want a full refund '' !!!! ):D

 

Cheers for the good news.

;)