Carnival Corporation , the world’s largest cruise company,  marked 20 years of plugging into landside electrical power in Seattle in a milestone that underscores the long-standing partnership with the Port of Seattle.

On June 18, 2005, Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess became the first ship to connect to shore power in Seattle. The city was the second place in the world to have shore power after Juneau Alaska, where Carnival Corporation’s Princess Cruises had first pioneered and invested in the technology.

Shore power allows cruise ships docked in port to switch off their engines and connect directly to onshore energy sources, such as the local electricity grid, to power onboard systems and equipment.

“As a corporation, we are proud of pioneering shore power in Seattle 20 years ago and our role in supporting a technology that is now accepted around the world,” said Robert Morgenstern, senior vice president of Alaska Operations for Carnival Corporation. “This milestone is also a recognition of a long-standing collaboration with the Port of Seattle and its support for what was a novel technology two decades ago.”

Port of Seattle CEO Steve Metruck said the collaboration had provided the impetus for Seattle to have all three cruise berths providing shore power.

Carnival Corporation first initiated shore power at the former cruise berth Terminal 30 where Diamond Princess became the first ship to connect 20 years ago. When the current Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91 opened in 2009, the company moved its shore power equipment and has been plugging in at this location ever since.

“The Port of Seattle is proud to be one of the few cruise homeports with shore power at multiple berths. This is possible because of dedicated partners in the cruise industry and our local utility, Seattle City Light, to make real progress on shared goals and scale sustainable solutions. We thank Carnival Corporation for their leadership in starting us all on this journey,” Port of Seattle Commissioner Ryan Calkins said.

The shared focus on shore power was also the catalyst for another home-grown success story with Seattle business, Watts Marine, now recognized as global leaders in their field.

Watts Marine recently completed the installation of shore power at Pier 66 with principal, Mike Watts, involved in completing the electrification of all three facilities and the evolution of shore power technology more than 20 years.