Its cargo of vehicles, parked and lashed down just 6 inches apart, are simply driven off the ship, which resembles a very large, multi-level parking garage when viewed from inside the ship. Other vessels are larger and more complex, and using alternative energy to power them would be more difficult, said Art Wong, a spokesman for the Port of Long Beach.
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Solar energy helps to power huge ship at Port of Long Beach
The solar array, which provides 10% of the energy used by the M/V Auriga Leader while she is docked, is part of a demonstration project to reduce diesel emissions.
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An "S-Class" ship designed to carry as many as 8,000 cargo containers can be 900 feet to 1,000 feet long. These vessels are also required to provide power to any number of refrigerated cargo containers carrying perishable items. On average, such ships can need as much as six megawatts of power, or enough to provide electricity to 4,000 homes, Wong said.
Crude oil supertankers need even more fuel. It takes eight megawatts of electricity -- enough to power about 5,500 homes -- to pump their cargo of oil off the ship, Wong said.
Port officials say that shows there is no single technology that is going to quickly reduce a ship's diesel emissions.
"This is a good step we're taking here to reduce these greenhouse gases," Wong said.
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ron.white@latimes.com
