Until now, when I thought of plug-in hybrids, my mind wandered toward images of the Toyota Prius or Ford Escape and Ford Fusion. But no more!
Now I envision the APL Washington, (built in 2009) a 75,580 ton container ship.
APL (originally American President Lines) just received a $4.8-million grant from the Port of Oakland to convert some of the largest container ships on the seas to plug-in hybrids. The money will pay for the ships to be converted to run on 100% electrical power while in the Port of Oakland.
It is the traditional practice for ships to remain under their own power while in port. Shutting down the 2,000-horsepower generators most ships have and switching to dockside electrical power will save 50,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide smog from being pumped into the air over San Francisco Bay every year. That's a lot of better, cleaner breathing!
Many of APL's earlier ships were built right here in San Francisco at Bethlehem Shipyards. You can see ship photos (some in SF Bay) and read their stories here.
The $4.8-million grant is part of a larger $11-million plan by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD)
to make the busy Port of Oakland the greenest and most environmentally friendly port on the planet. This is a great idea and I'm really pleased to see BAAQMD lead the maritime industry (and the world) in green technology. Congratulations, BAAQMD!
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