SANTA CLARITA, Calif.,
July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --
Princess Cruises made history when the cruise line introduced its
revolutionary shore power program and began operations in
partnership with the City and Borough of Juneau and Alaska Electric
Light and Power Company in the summer of 2001. Now, 20 years later
when Princess Cruises vessels arrive at the Franklin Dock, ships
continue to "plug in" to local surplus hydroelectric power and turn
off the diesel engines, reducing the impact of visible air
emissions and the cruise line's carbon footprint in an effort
applauded by local government officials and the residents of the
capital city.
The 20th anniversary milestone was recognized as
Majestic Princess made her maiden call to the port of Juneau and
commissioned to connect to the Juneau electrical grid. Princess
Cruises President Jan Swartz,
Majestic Princess Captain Dino Sagani, Alaska Electric Light and
Power Company President and General Manager Connie Hulbert and Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon and City Manager Rorie Watt were in attendance.
"Shore power in Juneau has been a significant win-win situation,
not only for Princess but also for the customers of Alaska Electric
Light and Power Company and the residents of the City and Borough
of Juneau who have been incredible partners over the last 20
years," said Jan Swartz, Princess
Cruises president. "Our beneficial collaboration has paved the way
for the cruise industry to reduce air emissions and allow cruise
ships to 'plug in.'"
In addition to this investment, for the past 20 years, every
dollar spent by Princess for purchasing electrical energy in Juneau
has been credited to a cost of power adjustment, or COPA account.
This credit is used to offset any diesel expenses in the next
quarter, and any extra funds go back to residents and businesses in
Juneau in the form of a rebate on electric bills. To date, this has
benefitted the Juneau community by $8.5
million dollars.
"The implementation of shore power in Juneau 20 years ago was a
truly remarkable accomplishment and this first-of-its-kind program
became a reality in our capital city through our partnership with
Princess," said Connie Hulbert,
Alaska Electric, Light and Power Company president and general
manager. "We are proud that our remote city, with our own isolated
electric grid, is the first place in the world to use this
innovative technology for passenger vessels, which has provided
economic and environmental benefits to the community of Juneau"
Shore power, also known as "cold ironing," enables ships to
connect to local electric power and turn off their diesel
engines. The specialized shore side equipment includes a
specially designed transformer, and a sophisticated system of
cables, circuit breakers and control circuits. Shore-based
electricity then runs all onboard services during the day-long
calls.
To create this unusual power system, Princess has outfitted all
14 of its ships with custom-built hardware and automation that
automatically connects the ship's electrical network to the local
electrical network ashore. The electrical power is transmitted from
the transformer ashore to the vessel via multiple 3 ½-inch diameter
flexible electrical cables on the dock. (In Juneau, the cables hang
festooning-style on a special gantry system designed to accommodate
the 25-foot rise and fall of the tide and withstand the 100 mph
Juneau winds during the winter.) The actual cable connection on the
vessel is a traditional, though quite large, plug and
socket.
The shore power hookup is the result of a multi-million-dollar
investment to build a sophisticated power distribution system
designed to help clear the air of accumulated haze in the port
area. Since 2001, Princess has invested more than $15 million in equipment alone to enable its
vessels to connect to shore power.
Each year, Princess ships plug in more than 300 shore power
connections. This ground-breaking technology has now grown and is
used by various cruise lines in port cities including Seattle (2005), Vancouver (2009), San Diego (2010), San Francisco (2010), Los Angeles (2011), New York (2012) and Halifax (2014), as well as internationally in
Shanghai and Kristiansand,
Norway, with more and more port
cities becoming shore power enabled.
The length of time needed to connect a ship to shore power and
shut down the vessel's diesel generator is approximately 40 minutes
after the ship has been secured at the dock. Once connected, the
ship's engines are powered down and the ships relies on the local
power system for all ship's services while in port.
More information about Princess Cruises' commitment to the
environmental can be found here:
www.princess.com/environment and its parent company Carnival
Corporation's sustainability report can be found here;
https://carnivalsustainability.com/.
About Princess Cruises:
One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is the
world's leading international premium cruise line and tour company
operating a fleet of 14 modern cruise ships, carrying two million
guests each year to 380 destinations around the globe, including
the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera,
Europe, South America, Australia/New
Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia,
Canada/New England, Antarctica, and World Cruises. A team of
professional destination experts have curated 170 itineraries,
ranging in length from three to 111 days and Princess Cruises is
continuously recognized as "Best Cruise Line for Itineraries." In
2017 Princess Cruises, with parent company Carnival Corporation,
introduced MedallionClass Vacations enabled by the OceanMedallion
device, the vacation industry's most advanced wearable device,
provided free to each guest sailing on a MedallionClass ship. The
award-winning innovation offers the fastest way to an effortless
personalized vacation giving guests more time to do the things they
love most. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc
(NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE:CUK).
In line with the latest advice from health officials about
COVID-19, Princess Cruises is currently enhancing health and safety
protocols with input from medical experts and government bodies and
assessing how they may impact future itineraries. Actual offerings
may vary from what is displayed in marketing materials. Click on
the following links to stay updated on current Cruise Updates
and Health & Safety protocols.
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SOURCE Princess Cruises