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APL flipped the switch today on a clean-air effort that’s part of California’s maritime future. The Singapore-based container shipping line became the first to shut down, or, “cold-iron,” a vessel’s engines to eliminate exhaust emissions at the Port of Oakland. As others follow suit – and regulators say they must – cold-ironing will become a staple on California’s coast. “We have brought cold-ironing to the port,” proclaimed APL Americas President Gene Seroka. The 900-foot APL…

Global shipping leader APL and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced a landmark $11m project to cut vessel emissions and improve this city's air quality starting in 2010. Armed with $4.8m in air quality grants, the world's fifth-largest container carrier said it will retrofit its terminal and vessels to begin cold-ironing next December at the Port of Oakland. Cold-ironing is industry jargon for turning off a ship's 2,000 horsepower diesel generators at berth and connecting instead to electrical sources ashore. This enables vessels to maintain power in port while eliminating exhaust emissions. Cold-ironing will cut more than 50…