The U.S. Military has been using Shore Power technology for decades. Sometimes referred to as cold-ironing, shore power enables ships to shut off their engines while in berth and plug into land-based power, thereby reducing on-board manpower requirements while in port.
In a recent project for a Western Pacific naval facility, ESL manufactured a Shore Power Mound Assembly (Dockside Power Connection Station) and Voice-Data Outlet Station to meet the latest U.S. Military specifications.
A few feature highlights of the shore power mound assembly included:
- 3/8” Stainless Steel Enclosure
That’s one thick piece of metal! Shore power mounds must be built to withstand the harshest environments, including hurricane-force winds and waves in the wharf docks. - 200A Safety-interlocked Receptacles
The shore power mound assembly specifications for this project called out a common receptacle, but ESL offered a safety-interlock receptacle in order to provide a safe and convenient means to disconnect power at the point of connection. - IEEEC57.12.28/29 Paint Certification
Since the shore power assemblies are installed in extremely brutal environments, the U.S. Military requires the painting process comply with IEEEC57.12.28/29. ESL has developed and achieved certification of a proprietary paint process, ensuring the enclosures will wear better over time and without peeling and chipping. - Integral 4X Circuit Breaker Cabinet
With a dedicated circuit breaker cabinet for branch and overcurrent protection of industrial receptacles, transformer, and GFCI receptacles, manual resetting of breakers can be executed in a matter of seconds. - Fiber Optic Receptacles
In order to accommodate various types of data and voice transmission equipment aboard the cutter, fiber optic receptacles were also provided. - Transformer
Transformers were installed to step down the incoming voltage to appropriate levels for lights, push buttons, and other lower voltage controlled components.
In addition to the Shore Power Mound Assembly, a dedicated Voice-Data Shore-tie Station was also built to accommodate a retrofit where shore power connections were already adequate.
Although not included in this most recent Dockside Power Connection Station project, ESL customizes Shore Ties which can include a switch to bypass the ground fault monitoring equipment as well as lighting surge protectors, and other equipment as needed.
As a leading manufacturer of military shore power equipment for 10+ years, ESL strives to provide maximum utility in the smallest footprint possible. View ESL’s Shore Power Catalog for a sampling of ship-to shore products ESL has provided the US military.
