TRIESTE – The port of Trieste is ready to launch cold ironing. Electrification works on the berths used by cruise ships have been completed, and technical testing is expected by the end of June. The first ships will be able to connect to the shore power grid as early as July.
The announcement was made by Marco Consalvo, president of the Port Network Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea and of Trieste Terminal Passeggeri. The only remaining variable is a decree from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, needed to establish the operating procedures and ownership of the service.
Cold ironing allows ships at berth to switch off their auxiliary engines and draw power from the shore grid, cutting emissions produced while they are moored in port. For Trieste, a city where the passenger terminal is only a few hundred metres from the historic centre, this is an issue that goes beyond port logistics. Monitoring carried out in the city has recorded particulate matter peaks up to ten times higher than reference values in unexposed areas, black carbon concentrations above the same threshold and nitrogen dioxide peaks four times above WHO limits. With cold ironing, the share of emissions produced while ships are berthed can be eliminated.
