The Port of Seattle announced that the Bell Street Cruise Terminal at Pier 66 is now equipped with shore power, according to a press release.

With this $44 million investment, all three of the port’s cruise berths now support shore power technology, allowing ships to connect to the Seattle City Light grid and turn off fuel-based engines to reduce air emissions. This milestone makes Seattle one of the first cruise ports to simultaneously offer shore power at all berths.

“Over the six-month cruise season, we’ve welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to Seattle to enjoy the restaurants and small businesses of the city, explore our transformed Waterfront, and make the most of their time here. As we continue to revitalize Downtown, this tourism contributes to needed street activation, pre-pandemic hotel occupancy levels, and millions of dollars in revenue for our Downtown and urban core businesses,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “We applaud the Port of Seattle on another great season and look forward to welcoming even more guests in the years to come.”

“With the installation of shore power at Pier 66, I’m proud to say Seattle is one of the only ports globally able to simultaneously power three cruise ships with low-carbon electricity,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Fred Felleman. “Enabling three cruise ships to turn off their generators while at the dock has the potential to eliminate three tons of particulates and 10,000 tons of greenhouse gases over a full cruise season, which benefits the climate, communities, and economy.”

“The Port of Seattle would like to thank the partners that made this cruise season one of our best ever, on and off the water, all of that with clean hydropower,” said Port of Seattle Executive Director Stephen P. Metruck. “We especially thank the City of Seattle and Seattle City Light who are helping us electrify the working waterfront and create a more sustainable future for our region. Additionally, the Port thanks our partners in the cruise industry for the significant investments they are making in more sustainable ships and shoreside facilities that are critical to all of our environmental strategies. These partnerships and constant efforts to do more are what makes Seattle one of the most environmentally innovative and successful cruise homeports in the world.”