Associated British Ports, the UK’s leading ports group, has published an update to its Southampton Air Quality Strategy, Cleaner Air for Southampton, outlining the progress made by ABP and companies operating within the port as well providing an action plan to improve air quality even further in future.

First published in 2018, the report outlines a number of measures that have been undertaken by ABP, its customers, shipping lines and wider stakeholders across the port to deliver improvements in air quality.

Over the past 12 months, the port has seen major successes with improvements such as the introduction of shore power to enable cruise ships to turn off their engines whilst alongside; the use of alternative cleaner fuels and further investment in rail infrastructure and port equipment.

In April 2022, the Port of Southampton celebrated a major milestone with the successful commissioning and use of its shore power facility for cruise ships. With these upgrades, shore power-enabled ships, are able to plug in at the port’s Horizon and Mayflower Cruise Terminals and achieve zero emissions at berth. This is particularly significant as around 88% of new cruise ships are built shore-power ready.

Furthermore, as of last year, around half of ABP Southampton’s power comes from solar generation. ABP’s initiatives are helping to drive an overall reduction of 40% in energy consumption since 2009 against a doubling of port throughput.

Alastair Welch, Director of the Port, commented: “As a major employer and a responsible neighbour, we are proud of the role we and the wider port community have played in accelerating air quality improvements in Southampton. We will continue to implement initiatives and share our experiences with others to ensure these improvements continue.”