Enforcement Showcase - 2022 Shore Power Audit Results
Published on September 7, 2023
The 2007 At Berth Regulation ended in December 2022 and was superseded by a new At Berth Regulation beginning in January 2023. The charts below depict emissions reductions and compliance from 2015-2022 under the 2007 Regulation. The rule required fleets of container, refrigerated cargo, and cruise vessels to reduce their auxiliary engine power incrementally over the course of the Regulation. Figure 1 illustrates how each year the power reduction requirement increased (2017 & 2020) where power reductions either barely met or fell below the regulatory requirement. The data also shows a drop below the regulatory requirement of 80% power reduction for the years 2020-2022. Documented factors impacting the industry during this time period included supply chain disruptions due to COVID, COVID travel restrictions causing labor issues, and the power reduction requirement increased to 80% in 2020. Importantly, 2022 shows a rise in power reductions, suggesting a recovery from COVID related issues.
In 2022, CARB enforcement staff audited 33 fleets, consisting of 23 companies and just over 3,000 visits. Figure 1 depicts the statewide average actual power reduction in 2022 to be 74%. This means all regulated fleets in California collectively reduced their engine power by 74% through the use of shore power or a CARB-approved alternative control technology. The Regulation and a supplemental Regulatory Advisory allowed for the use of emergency and scenario relief when issues affecting compliance were outside of a vessel operator’s control. After applying all advisory and regulatory emergency relief, the average statewide power reduction in 2022 was 81%, meeting the 80% regulatory requirement. In 2022, CARB issued 4 Notices of Violation to 4 companies for 6 fleets, as illustrated in Figure 2. A fleet is defined by which port it visits, so one company can have multiple fleets per year. Data in the figures below are subject to slight changes as cases are negotiated and resolved.
Figure 1. Percent Actual MWh Reduced Statewide Under the 2007 At Berth Regulation
