PortMiami is now undergoing a massive expansion program that will bring more and bigger ships – but there are no plans for a plug in solution called shore power that could eliminate one of the biggest sources of pollution in the city.
A single cruise ship docked for one day at the port can spew diesel exhaust equivalent to 34,400 idling tractor trailers, according to an analysis confirmed by the EPA. In Miami, as many as nine ships are docked in a day, which could equal as many as 309,600 running trucks.
At the much smaller port of Red Hook in Brooklyn, New York, an analysis said that the port contributes up to 1,200 tons of carbon dioxide, 25 tons of nitrous oxide, and tons of hazardous particulate matter there, according to the New York Times. Miami likely sees much higher levels of pollution than that from cruise ships due to its size.
Many ports around the world are requiring ships to plug in to electrical connection called shore power, which eliminates the air pollution, the Times wrote.
At PortMiami, which sits in close proximity to some of the most valuable real estate in the city, there are no such plans – despite up to $1.5 billion now being invested there. The Miami Herald quoted PortMiami’s director as saying that shore power “didn’t come up” in negotiations to build multiple new terminals now under construction or planned.
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