Carnival Cruise Line and PortMiami celebrated a milestone this week when Carnival Conquest became the first cruise ship to plug into shore power at PortMiami.
Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company, partnered with several other cruise lines, Miami-Dade County and Florida Power & Light Company to bring shore power to PortMiami.
PortMiami is now the first major cruise port on the East Coast to offer shore power at five different cruise berths.
Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, gave the following statement about the launch of shore power at PortMiami:
“This is an important milestone for our hometown and we’re proud to support Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and all county and port officials for their amazing partnership in bringing shore power to PortMiami. We continue to implement important initiatives that have kept us ahead of our ambitious goals to reduce emissions, and this new shore power capability will allow our ships to rely on the electrical grid to power our ships while in port.”
Shore power allows cruise ships to shut off their engines while they are docked in port and connect to the local electric grid. Depending on the mix of energy sources, using shore power can reduce total emissions by up to 98%.
67% of Carnival Corporation’s fleet is now equipped with shore power capabilities. Over the next few years, it will be added to an additional 30 of their cruise ships including three more this year.
Josh Weinstein, chief executive officer of Carnival Corporation & plc, said the following about this momentous day in Miami:
“Using shoreside electricity to power our ships in port is an integral part of our global strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and minimize our environmental footprint.”
“It’s been over 20 years since our company first pioneered shore power for the cruise industry, yet adoption remains limited to just 2% of cruise ports worldwide. We applaud PortMiami for having the vision to recognize shore power as vital to the future of our industry and the planet, and for being at the forefront of their peer group in delivering this capability to cruise ships.”