ABB (www.abb.com) has been awarded a contract by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to provide a system that will enable power to be supplied from shore to vessels using the Global Container Terminal (GCT) Deltaport — Canada’s largest container port.

Located in Delta, British Columbia, the port is designed to handle trans-Pacific container vessels (the project is part of a joint commitment by the federal government and Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to reduce environmental impact).

The Deltaport terminal is spread over a 1km² area, with three berths across 1,100m.

ABB’s shore-to-ship solution will enable vessels to connect to the electrical grid of BC Hydro, instead of using diesel generators.

The design, engineering and supply of key technologies such as the high-voltage shore connection system (with protection, control and communication capabilities) will all be provided by ABB.

With the ability to shut down ship engines at the port, polluting substances such as nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides (NOx and SOx) will be curtailed, while noise and vibration levels will be mitigated.

A large cruise vessel running its auxiliary engines on diesel, to power its loads while in port, emits the equivalent amount of Nox – in just 8hr – as 10,000 cars driving from Zurich to London.

ABB’s solution to power ships with electricity supplied from shore includes special sub-stations that can cater for both 50Hz and 60Hz vessels from different parts of the world, together with on-board connections and automation panels.