Seattle requires all cruise ships serving its home port to use land-based energy by 2027

The ordinance passed Tuesday by the Seattle Port Commission goes into effect for the 2027 cruise season, three years ahead of the port’s previous 2030 goal.

“By ensuring that all cruise parent ships use land-based energy by including such a requirement in our trade agreements, the port continues to demonstrate how we can generate economic opportunity while minimizing our impact on communities and the climate,” said Commissioner Fred Felleman the Port of Seattle, which sponsored the order.

The 2030 target becomes a requirement for 2027

“By issuing this regulation, the Commission is transforming the port’s 2030 target for widespread use of shore-side energy into a 2027 requirement, which is only possible thanks to the significant investments made by the cruise industry and the port in both ships and land-based facilities “.

He added: “Marketing such investments should also appeal to the environmental interests of travelers who choose to cruise to Alaska.”

“Given our continued investment in land-based energy, we must ensure that parent ships plug in when they dock at our waterfronts,” said Hamdi Mohamed, chairman of the Port of Seattle Commission, who co-sponsored the order. “This order represents a robust policy that demonstrates our commitment to accountability and oversight of our sustainability strategy.”

Emissions were reduced by an average of 66%.

Connecting to a shore power source reduces diesel emissions from moored cruise ships by an average of 66%. In the 2023 season, land-based cruise ships avoided 2,700 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and 0.75 tonnes of diesel particulate matter, the equivalent of almost 650 passenger cars running for a year.

Electrification of Pier 66 coming soon

The port is finalizing the electrification of Pier 66 and plans to connect cruise ships there to shore power this summer. This milestone will enable access to land-based energy at all three Seattle cruise berths, helping to meet Northwest Ports’ Clean Air Strategy goal of electrifying all cruise berths by 2030, six years early. This will make Seattle one of the first cruise ports to offer shore-side power on all of its numerous waterfronts.