The California Air Resources Board (CARB) plans to propose new regulations that would require all cruise ships docking in the state to plug into shorepower.
If enacted, the cold ironing rules, to be introduced at the Dec. 5 CARB board meeting, would go into effect Jan. 1, 2021, according to a resource board spokesperson.
Current regulations require ships visiting the major Californian ports five or more times to plug in while at berth. Under the soon-to-be proposed new rules, ships previously visiting four or fewer times would remain exempt from the regulations until 2023, said Karen Caesar, the board’s information officer.
The rule change would also change the exact moment a ship must begin cold ironing and be able to end, as well as the types of reports generated to ensure compliance during calls. It will also address instances where a vessel may not be able to use shorepower, such as during equipment repairs or terminal construction projects.
The compliance requirements of the existing regulation would be superseded on Jan. 1, 2021 with the new regulation, but the reporting elements of the existing regulation remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2025 to ensure 2020 compliance remains effective.
The exact wording of the proposed changes can be found as Appendix A of the Initial Statements of Reasons, published here.
