Ferries play a vital role in the public transport infrastructure of many waterside towns and cities. Vessels, which remain in port for six hours on average, need electricity to run amenities such as heating, ventilation, cooling, and galley equipment. Currently, the electricity is produced with onboard diesel generators, which are a constant source of noise, vibration, noxious emissions, and a generally unpleasant smell, which brings about severe results for onboard staff, according to the Taicang Maritime Safety Administration of P.R.C.

The shore-to-ship power solution helps to reduce emissions, noise, and vibrations in ports substantially by connecting ships to the port’s electricity grid via a shore-to-ship power connection. This means that ferries no longer have to run their engines in port, which allows them to operate their amenities more efficiently and with lower emissions by connecting to an onshore power supply.

On March 3, a fully integrated shore-to-ship power solution was put into service at the Wugang Terminal, a wharf of the Taicang Port, Jiangsu province. The operator of the terminal, Taicang Wugang Terminal Co Ltd, has taken steps to mitigate the negative impact of their operations on the local community and the environment.

The Wugang Terminal is charming at night, with ships sailing on the water and lights shining on the shore. [Photo/tcwgport.com]

As part of the plan to cut their fleet’s fuel consumption and emission, vessels that use the system while docking at wharfs or terminals at the Taicang Port will save about 150,000 tons of fuel and as a result over 1,800 tons of nitrogen oxides and more than 900 tons of CO2 will not be produced.

The shore-to-ship power supply solution launched at Wugang Terminal is an investment that reduces the environmental burden while improving quality of life and saving money in the long term by cutting down on fuel consumption. This is an essential move taken by Taicang Port to build itself into an eco-friendly port.

Taicang Port, situated on the south bank of the Yangtze River estuary and with an estimated coastline of around 38 kilometers, is a nationally recognized artery port for container transportation at the north wing of the Shanghai International Navigation Center, a hub for transportation by river and sea, and also the top foreign trade port in Jiangsu province.

Aerial photography can wonderfully capture the scene of Taicang Port. Taicang Port, situated on the south bank of the Yangtze River estuary and with an estimated coastline of around 38 kilometers, is a nationally recognized artery port for container transportation at the north wing of the Shanghai International Navigation Center, a hub for transportation by river and sea, and also the top foreign trade port in Jiangsu province. [Photo/Wechat: taicangdaily]

The terrific scene of Taicang Port at night. [Photo provided to China Daily]