Advocates and community members are calling attention to what they say is an abundance of air pollution caused by cruise ships docking in the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.  

Neighbors came together in Red Hook on Monday to express their frustration with the current state of air quality in Red Hook, all while a massive cruise ship was docked at the terminal spewing brown smoke.  

The ralliers are calling on City Hall to take action on Intro 1050 – a bill that would mandate that the New York City Economic Development Corporation require ships to plug in when docked on shore. When plugged in, ships can turn off their diesel engines, reducing emissions.  

The bill’s sponsor, Councilmember Alexa Aviles, says the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal has had shore power connection since 2017, but that it’s either not being used or it’s not compatible with the ships docking in Red Hook.  

“Every day that a ship docks at port and remains unplugged releases the equivalent of 34,000 tractor trailers burning fuel,” said Aviles.  

The EDC says they’re producing additional shore power infrastructure for the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and will work with the community and elected officials on this issue.