Technology company ABB has secured a contract to install a shore-to-ship solution at the South Korean Port of Incheon.
As explained, the solution would enable passenger vessels visiting Incheon to slash emissions, noise and vibrations at berth.
The project is said to reflect South Korea’s commitment to sustainable shore-to-ship power after a pilot scheme for passenger ships to plug into the local grid received the go-ahead from the Incheon Port Authority (IPA).
“As the first agreement covering shore-to-ship power in South Korea, this is a truly significant breakthrough for ABB,” Juha Koskela, Managing Director, ABB Marine & Ports, commented.
“We are honored to be selected by IPA to support their efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships, as well as moving towards increasingly sustainable port operations.”
In addition to a new USD 160 million ferry terminal opened in April 2019, the Port of Incheon inaugurated South Korea’s largest cruise terminal in June this year. Given IPA’s ambitions to develop its vision for Incheon as a new tourism hub for Northeast Asia, environmental credentials are among the port’s top priorities.
An increasing number of ports around the world offer shore power for ferries, as well as other passenger vessel types. There is a clear interest to lower pollution in ports, and one way of doing that is to install shore power and have a clean grid feeding to it, according to ABB.