Major shore power infrastructure in place at Kiel

It means the port can now supply up to three cruise ships and four ferries with electricity simultaneously, and the port claims this is one of the most extensive systems in the world.

The new facility at Ostseekai has a capacity of 16MVA, 50/60 Hz, 6.6/11kV.

“In the past and current seasons, there have been several days when two cruise ships wanted to use shore power at the Ostseekai,” said Seehaven Kiel (the port) managing director Dirk Claus. “This sends a strong signal; demand from shipping companies for shore power is extremely high and we are delighted with the excellent cooperation we have enjoyed here.”

Partners in building the facility included PowerCon, Siemens, Inros Lackner and Stemmann, with funding from the state of Schleswig-Holstein and the European Union.

European wave of shore power

Many of Europe’s major ports have joined the tide to offer shore power – including the Port of Hamburg, which was the first in Europe to offer it for container ships and not just ferries and cruise liners.

The Vasco de Gama (IMO 9706889) of the CMA CGM Group became the first container ship to be regularly supplied with shore power at berth, the port announced in May 2024.

“From 2025, all large cruise and container terminals in the Port of Hamburg will have shore power connections,” it pledged.

Other notable ports that now offer ‘green’ shore power include Aberdeen, in Scotland, which has eight berths delivering it to Service Operation Vessels as well as passenger ferries. 

“Longer term, Port of Aberdeen has ambitions to expand its shore power infrastructure to supply green electricity at more berths throughout its 7,600m quayside,” it says.

At the Port of Zeebrugge / Antwerp-Bruges, work is about to begin on a high-voltage substation and OPS facility that will allow two cruise ships to plug in simultaneously with the help of a movable loading arm.

Delivery of the system, which is being installed by Cavotec, is due next year, a spokesman said.