The Need and Importance of Marine Shore Power Cords

Marine shore power cords are an essential component of powering marine vessels when they are at berth. When a ship is in the dock or near a shore, its main engines are usually turned off, and power is sourced from an electrical connection at the shore. Shore power can be provided by a generator, or directly through the connection of an electrical utility company. With renewable energy sources becoming rather popular, alternate energy sources such as solar energy or wind energy is also becoming widely used for providing shore power.

The cords that are used for connecting the marine vessels need to be made with the best components so as to provide a dependable source of energy. Shore power is required for several reasons. Here are a few:

• Ships usually require more fuel and electricity when they are at sea. At berth, they need not use 100% of their engines and ancillary systems. These can be turned off to save fuel.
• A lot of maintenance work needs to be undertaken when a ship is in the dock. For this reason, its main and auxiliary engines might have to be turned off. In such a situation, shore power is essential to power the critical systems during maintenance.
• Ships, when fully powered are known to emit hazardous gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur oxide, and nitrogen oxide. By switching to electrical power, the emission of these harmful gases can be eliminated at port.
• Another reason for the use of shore power is that ships make a considerable amount of noise when their main and auxiliary engines are on. By turning off the engines and switching to shore power, this noise can be eliminated and noise pollution can be reduced.
• Furthermore, several ports have their own anti-idling laws and dry docking process routines that make it mandatory for a ship or marine vessel to switch to shore power. In such a case, the use of marine shore power cords proves to be very useful.

It needs to be noted here that switching to shore power is usually not an option for merchant vessels as they need to carry out several critical operations that are powered by their internal systems. Thus, shore power is typically used by naval ships, private boats, and other marine vessels.

The use of twist locking cordsets is common when switching to shore power as these electrical components ensure uninterrupted power to critical systems. Twist locking cordsets eliminate the risk of a cable or plug being inadvertently pulled or tugged loose. Whether you are using marine shore power or any other type of cord, it is advisable to purchase UL-approved products for unmatched safety.