Tokyo-based NYK Line is making a major commitment to the concept of cold ironing, whereby shipboard generators are shut down while alongside in port and all electrical power needs are met by making connections with the shoreside grid. Prompted by the rising tide of air pollution controls in the US and elsewhere, the Japanese group has specified 20 container ship newbuildings with the capability to use alternative marine power (AMP) technology, and has also rolled out a retrofit programme for its existing vessels. The first of the company's fleet to incorporate AMP arrangements from the outset was the NYK Atlas, equipped to receive a shoreside supply at 6.6kV 60Hz. Since the middle of last year, NYK Atlas has been using the purpose-built AMP facilities at the company's Yusen terminal in Los Angeles. The interface there features leading-edge AMP equipment with a direct tie-in to the landside power grid.
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