January Manifest: Port SpotLight

Pier 66 and the Port of Seattle, seen from above.

As a major economic engine for the region, the Port of Seattle (“Port”) is demonstrating that sustainability and economic growth can go hand-in-hand. With the completion of the shore power installation at the Port’s Pier 66 cruise terminal in September 2024, all of Seattle’s cruise berths are now equipped with this green alternative. Shore power allows cruise ships at berth to connect to clean electric energy from the shore rather than running their diesel engines which reduces ship CO2 and diesel particulate matter emissions. In 2024, the Port of Seattle become the first port in the nation to require shore power usage by homeported cruise vessels beginning with the 2027 cruise season.

"By providing cruise ships with shore power, the Port of Seattle is making a significant contribution to cleaner air and a healthier environment for our region,” said Stephanie Jones Stebbins, Managing Director of Maritime at Port of Seattle. Shore power reduces emissions from cruise ships at berth, benefiting both residents and visitors and exemplifying our commitment to a sustainable future for all."

The Port operates the largest and fastest-growing cruise port on the West Coast with nearly 300 vessels in a typical season between April and October. In 2006, the Port, through investments by Carnival Corporation, was the first homeport in North America to offer shore power at two of the three cruise berths. Carnival and other cruise operators continue to utilize those infrastructure investments, with 67% of cruise calls equipped to plug in 2024.

Equipping the final cruise berth at Pier 66 took a bit longer. Significant engineering and logistical challenges hampered the electrification of Pier 66 but ultimately lead to an innovative solution. Instead of disruptive and costly overland construction, the Port installed an approximately 6,000-foot-long underwater cable connecting Pier 66 to an existing power source at Terminal 46 another Port property.

The Port invested $44M in the infrastructure projects and received a $3.5M investment from the City of Seattle’s Maritime Transportation Electrification Program (MARTEP). Seattle City Light was a key partner in the design and development of the project which resulted an improved City Light distribution system including duct bank capacity to serve Washington State Ferries, King County Marine Division, Kitsap Transit in the future. This project is also supported by grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, the State of Washington, and the TransAlta Centralia Coal Transition Board.

The Pier 66 shore power project is the latest in a series of electrification efforts by the City and the Port to create the greenest port in North America by phasing out seaport-related emissions by 2050.

Shore power is connected to a docked cruise ship.

Submarine cables are used globally and here in the Puget Sound to provide power to many island communities; however, the Pier 66 project is the first use for a cruise ship connection. The submarine cable was placed at the bottom of Elliot Bay on the coldest day of 2024 by a cable-laying barge and supported by divers in the water at the north and south end connection points. Additional teams then connected the cable to pier-side power vaults and also to the mobile cable positioning devices that allow for power connections directly to cruise ships of various sizes.

"This project is a success because of the dedication and ingenuity of our teams and partners,” said Sarah Ogier, Director of Maritime Environment and Sustainability at Port of Seattle. “Overcoming the logistical challenges of installing an underwater cable in a densely populated area required an innovative solution and a collaborative spirit. We are proud of this achievement and its contribution to a cleaner and more sustainable future."

A diagram demonstrating the route the shore power cable took from Terminal 46 to Pier 66.

Plugging into shore power can reduce diesel emissions from cruise vessels at berth by 80% on average. During the 2024 season, cruise ships using shore power avoided emitting almost 4,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases and 1.1 metric tons of diesel particulate matter — the equivalent of nearly 925 passenger cars driving for a year.