San Diego adding more shore power connectivity at B Street cruise berth

At its Dec. 5 meeting the board of port commissioners awarded a $676,273 equipment purchase and consulting service agreement contract to Watts Marine (formerly Cochran Marine). The additional shore power connection point will enable vessels with starboard connections to access shore power at B Street Pier’s south berth, providing further versatility to the existing system.

'The Port of San Diego has shown we are not afraid to be a port first and take our role as an environmental champion of the bay to heart,' board Chairman Rafael Castellanos said. 'The cruise industry injects hundreds of millions of dollars into our local economy and provides jobs for San Diegans, making it vital for the port to find ways to revolutionize the industry in an environmentally conscientious way and secure the industry’s longevity.'

2024 completion

The design phase of the third shore power connection is scheduled to begin this winter and is anticipated to be completed in 2024.

The port put its first shore power connection at the cruise terminals into service in 2010, making it among the first ports in California to do so and beating a state regulation to reduce diesel particulate emissions from at least 50% of cruise calls by nearly four years.

A second shore power plug was installed in 2022, enabling two ships to hook up simultaneously.

$24.7m invested in shore power to date

The Port of San Diego's investment into adding shore power to various cruise and cargo terminal areas totals approximately $24.7m in infrastructure costs to date.