Shore Power at BCT

Shore power is a technology that allows cruise ships to plug into the local electrical grid while docked, enabling them to shut down their diesel engines and reduce local emissions.

New York is one of only two cities on the East Coast with a shore power system. In Spring 2025, the BCT shore power system—which dates back to 2016—expanded from a fixed cable positioning device (CPD) to a mobile CPD, one of a series of upgrades required to accommodate a wider range of vessels for shoreside electrical connection. Each connection is a coordinated effort among ship staff, NYCEDC’s terminal operator (Ports America), the system provider (Watts Marine), licensed electricians (Welsbach), and the local utility (Con Edison).

Whether a ship can plug into shore power depends on several factors, including weather conditions, variations in local power supply, and compatibility between each ship’s design and each port’s electrical equipment/capacity. BCT’s shore power system is equipped with three feeders and requires the use of all three feeders to connect safely to shore power. If one feeder goes offline due to routine maintenance or an emergency, there is not enough capacity to deliver the necessary power to the ship.

Here is an overview of shore power connections at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.