The Port of Seattle has set out a measured progress report on shore power as it seeks to cut emissions from vessels at berth, underlining remaining work to reach regional targets.
The port refreshed its shore-power update in March 2025 and reiterated that shore power is a dockside electrical connection allowing vessels to shut down diesel engines while alongside, provided both ship and terminal infrastructure are equipped to make the connection.
The Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy sets an objective to install shore power at all major cruise and container berths by 2030, a target the port cited when describing its recent installations and the wider regional effort required to meet the goal.
Cruise terminals showing mixed uptake
At Smith Cove Cruise Terminal, Pier 91, the port reported that 54% of home-port calls were made by ships equipped to use shore power, and that all calls by Holland America Line and Princess Cruises vessels at that terminal were shore-power capable. The statistic addresses equipment fit on visiting vessels but stops short of implying every capable ship connects on each call.
Following the completion of work at Pier 66 in October 2024, the port said that all three of its cruise berths are now fitted with shore power. The Port estimated that Pier 66 shore power could avoid about 3,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide if all home-port ships used the connection, a figure the port advanced as an indication of the technology's potential when paired with ship-side readiness.
Container operations and regional steps
The port stated that its Terminal 5 modernisation included shore-power installation at both berths, reflecting an intent to extend the technology beyond cruise operations into container handling. The update also noted that regional partners plan to add shore-power capability at large container terminals in Tacoma and Seattle, indicating coordinated action across the Puget Sound region.
The Port's note carefully separates the two technical prerequisites for shore-power benefits: the presence of electrical infrastructure at the berth and the availability of compatible connections and systems aboard ships. That conditionality is central to the port’s message; without both elements, shore power cannot deliver the air-quality and climate benefits the strategy envisages.
The March 2025 refresh documents specific, measurable steps taken at identified berths while framing them within the wider 2030 objective of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy. The port’s account highlights installations already completed and planned, but it does not quantify remaining gaps in berth or fleet capability beyond the figures supplied for the named terminals.
Operators and terminal owners retain responsibility for implementing shore power at their facilities, while shipping lines must equip vessels and adopt connection practices that secure the estimated reductions in fuel consumption and emissions. The Port of Seattle’s update therefore presents shore power as a shared infrastructure and operational challenge rather than a single-actor solution.
Progress on shore power at Seattle’s major cruise and container berths will be a key indicator of whether the 2030 objective can be met regionally, given the combination of terminal upgrades and fleet modifications required. The port’s March 2025 update records steps taken and the potential emissions avoided at Pier 66, and it positions Terminal 5 and neighbouring terminals in Tacoma and Seattle as parts of a broader, cooperative effort to reduce vessel emissions at berth.