Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published Aug 18, 2022 8:38 PM by The Maritime Executive

Ports are increasingly becoming involved in alternative energy looking to use their facilities to contribute to reducing emissions. While much of the attention is on alternative fuels and wind energy, a number of projects are also looking to use of one the first alternative energy sources, solar power, in the future of the ports.

The Port of Corpus Christi in Texas is launching a new partnership to use available land at the port to potentially become the location for a large solar farm. The Port Commission approved a lease agreement with Buckeye Partners that will establish the first solar farm in the 100-year history of the port. 

The 81,000+ panel project will be located in San Patricio County on Port of Corpus Christi property near Midway Junction. The lease agreement provides Buckeye with a two-year development term to evaluate the feasibility of constructing the solar farm project on 136.69 acres of port-owned property. North of the proposed lease premises are 112 acres, owned by Buckeye, yielding a combined acreage of 248 acres available to construct the farm, which will have the capacity to produce 88,000 MWh of electricity per year.

“This lease agreement reinforces our commitment not only to embrace renewable energy developments but to solidify the port as a thought leader in the global energy marketplace, with the support of our partners at Buckeye,” said Sean Strawbridge, Chief Executive Officer for the Port of Corpus Christi. “We are excited and appreciative of our partnership with Buckeye in this new solar farm endeavor, which marks the expansion into a new chapter for the Port of Corpus Christi and our history.”

Similarly, the Portsmouth International Port has become the UK's first to use solar canopies as a source of energy for port operations. The project began in February and incorporates roof-mounted solar panels across several buildings, a large battery, and solar canopies across Portsmouth International Port.

The power produced by the 2,660 solar panels will contribute around 35 percent of the site’s power, which will be stored in a mega-watt sized battery. When completed, the 1.2-megawatt peak system will be the largest solar and battery installation to date across the area portfolio of renewable generation systems. As well as generating carbon-free power, the solar canopies will provide shade for cars waiting to board ferries, allowing them to stay cooler for longer without having to run their engines.

When fully operational, the system will reduce annual carbon emissions by 239 tonnes, according to Portsmouth City Council cabinet member for climate change and environment, Councilor Kimberly Barrett.

Published Aug 19, 2022 1:39 PM by The Maritime Executive

More than 100 years after she went to the bottom in the “Great War,” the wreck of USS Jacob Jones, the first U.S destroyer to be sunk by enemy fire during World War I, has been located and filmed. Deployed to help fight the emerging dangers of the submarine, she would also be claimed by the menace of the new form of warfare.  A team of British divers announced this week that they had identified the wreckage. It was discovered...

Published Aug 19, 2022 12:20 PM by The Maritime Executive

The number of cases of crew abandonment continues to rise possibly due to the strains on the industry during the pandemic. While port states such as Australia have been aggressive when the cases are reported to them, the International Transport Workers’ Federation and the charitable organization Stella Maris are also reporting with the increased support of organizations and government they are making progress in winning compensation for crewmembers globally. The ITF reported 85 cases of abandonment to the International Labour...

Published Aug 19, 2022 11:30 AM by The Maritime Executive

Efforts are continuing to develop the global supply network for methanol and more specifically the environmentally-friendly green bio-methanol to support the transition of the shipping industry away from its traditional fossil fuels. Shipping giant Maersk is leading the efforts after saying that it feared there would not be a sufficient quantity of the gas fuel to support the operations of its new fleet of dual-fuel vessels due to start entering service in 2024 operating on methanol. Maersk announced that it...

Published Aug 19, 2022 10:33 AM by Harry Valentine

Maritime folklore tells stories of giant waves that suddenly appear on the ocean and disappear just as quickly. While many people dismiss the existence of such waves as mythology, there are accounts of oil rigs and ships having encountered giant waves and giant troughs that suddenly appear and disappear. There are theories that seek to explain such occurrences that could occur more frequently as a result of climate change. Introduction: During December 1942, the Queen Mary sailed westbound into a...

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