Decarbonising the Maritime Industry – Visit to the cruise ship “Regal Princess”

Members of the Cold Ironing Buoy project team which is led by Orcades Marine Management Consultants Ltd, and made up by Aquatera Ltd, Schneider Electric, Orkney Harbours and GAC Group visited the “Regal Princess” cruise ship  Princess Cruises when it docked at Hatston, Orkney, in September.

This project which is partly funded by Innovate UK aims to decarbonise the maritime industry, focusing on reducing emissions from cruise liners by providing shore power to anchored vessels using renewable energy generated in Orkney. Currently in its feasibility study phase, the pilot project is envisioned to take place at Hatston Pier and the Kirkwall anchorage in Orkney.

The team has been consulting with the Princess Cruises and the Carnival Group since July 2024 as part of the stakeholder engagement. The cruise liners have provided invaluable feedback and suggestions to the team on the development work.

Subsequently in September 2024, members of the team were invited on the “Regal Princess” which is a regular caller at Hatston and were warmly welcomed by the Chief Engineer, Chief Electrical Officer and other members of the ship staff crew, where they discussed the project concept and the technical challenges being faced. Later in the day, the Captain and senior deck officers spent their valuable time to provide useful insights into the operational issues that need to be addressed during the study.

NB: Cold ironing, also known as Onshore Power Supply (OPS), refers to the process where ships shut down their onboard diesel generators while docked and instead connect to an onshore electrical power source. This allows the ship to maintain necessary operations without burning fuel, thereby reducing emissions and noise pollution in ports. It’s a key practice in green shipping initiatives to minimize environmental impact.