Questions remain about Shore Power in Red Hook, by Noah Phillips

The $21 million electronical installation is visible from the foot of Ferris Street.
The $21 million shore power electrical installation is visible from the foot of Ferris Street.

The Shore Power System at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal has not yet been handed over to the New York City Economic Development Corporation for use, despite a statement by the Port Authority that the handover was targeted for August.

Sources at EDC confirm that the system is operational and that most ships that make port calls at the BCT have been configured to plug into the system. However, certain ‘cosmetic’ details have yet to be resolved, such as installing fans and stairs at the facility. The EDC is hopeful that the Shore Power System (SPS) will be used for the September 8 birthing of the Queen Mary 2.

“The outstanding items impacting official turnover from the PA have nothing to do with the functionality and operation of the system for future calls,” wrote an EDC source in an email. “Management will be handed over pending final work to the system. There is also a third and final inspection scheduled for Thursday [September 1].”

Shore power is a method of reducing port pollution by having ships plug into electrical grids on land, rather than idling their engines by burning fuel. The SPS at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is the first on the U.S. East Coast, and has been in development since 2010.

Carnival Corporation currently has a preferred birthing contract with EDC. Carnival owns the Queen Mary 2, the Regal Princess, the Crown Princess, and the Caribbean Princess – these four ships will make 44 of the 48 remaining calls at BCT between now and December 31, 2017, when Carnival’s current contract expires.

Sources at EDC say that Carnival will likely be the next primary user as well. When the contract expires, the electricity rate as supplied by the NY Power Authority will be renegotiated, and will likely be lower than the current rate of 12 cents per kilowatt hour.

None of the three other ships currently scheduled to call at the BCT will be using the SPS. Two of these are small yachts not owned by Carnival, and one is the Aurora, part of Carnival’s P&O line, which will call twice in September 2017.

After the 2017 negotiations EDC will endeavor to keep SPS running, but there is no guarantee.
Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez sent a letter to EDC August 20 to clarify the cause of the delay.

“I am pleased that the construction of a shore-supplied power (‘shore power’) system at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal appears to have been completed,” begins the letter. “While we have certainly come a long way, I am concerned about delays in the system’s launch. For these reasons, I want to urge you to commence the ‘shore power’ system’s operation as soon as possible.”

Congresswoman Velazquez cited figures from the Bluewater Network equating an idling cruise ship’s emissions to those of 12.400 cars.

“After all the investment in such a system, and having passed tests with the ships outfitted with ‘shore power’ capability, it is a shame that recent port calls by the Queen Mary 2 have not been able to utilize the ‘shore power’ system,” concluded the Congresswoman. “I am hopeful that we can begin the use of the ‘shore power’ system well before this tourist season is over.”

As of press time, EDC had not responded to the Congresswoman’s letter.

Author

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Comments are closed.

READ OUR FULL PRINT EDITION

click here to see our previous issues.

Our Sister Publication

a word from our sponsors!

Latest Media Guide!

Where to find the Star-Revue

Instagram

How many have visited our site?

wordpress hit counter

Social Media

Most Popular

On Key

Related Posts

Special birthday issue – information for advertisers

Author George Fiala George Fiala has worked in radio, newspapers and direct marketing his whole life, except for when he was a vendor at Shea Stadium, pizza and cheesesteak maker in Lancaster, PA, and an occasional comic book dealer. He studied English and drinking in college, international relations at the New School, and in his spare time plays drums and

PS 15’s ACES program a boon for students with special needs, by Laryn Kuchta

At P.S. 15 Patrick F. Daly in Red Hook, staff are reshaping the way elementary schoolers learn educationally and socially. They’ve put special emphasis on programs for students with intellectual disabilities and students who are learning or want to learn a second language, making sure those students have the same advantages and interactions any other child would. P.S. 15’s ACES

Big donors taking an interest in our City Council races

The New York City Council primary is less than three months away, and as campaigns are picking up steam, so are donations. In districts 38 and 39 in South Brooklyn, Incumbents Alexa Avilés (District 38) and Shahana Hanif (District 39) are being challenged by two moderate Democrats, and as we reported last month, big money is making its way into

Wraptor celebrates the start of spring

Red Hook’s Wraptor Restaurant, located at 358 Columbia St., marked the start of spring on March 30. Despite cool weather in the low 50s, more than 50 people showed up to enjoy the festivities. “We wanted to do something nice for everyone and celebrate the start of the spring so we got the permits to have everyone out in front,”