Faced with growing calls to improve the environment around
major ports and with pending EU regulatory actions requiring ships to reduce
emissions while in port, five of Northern Europe’s largest port authorities
announced a joint effort focusing on increasing the use of onshore power supply
for ships at berth. While the use of cold ironing has been increasing for some
segments, such as passenger ships, harbor crafts, and inland vessels, the new
memorandum of understanding among the ports focuses on expanding the use of
shore power for large container ships. The ports are agreeing to equip all
their container terminals for shore power by 2028.
The ports of Antwerp, Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Haropa Port, and
Rotterdam decided to examine what they can undertake to create further progress
and increase the efforts already underway at a regional, national, and
international level. The five port authorities are calling for a coordinated
approach to reduce capex costs through innovation and to provide clarity that
will stimulate the shipping sector to equip vessels and make it possible for
vessels to use shore power in multiple ports. Working together they plan to
create a level playing field for the use of shore power in their respective
ports.
“With the joint declaration of the major European container
ports on the North Range, we are getting a little closer to zero-emission
shipping in line with our greenports strategy,” said Robert Howe, CEO
Bremerhaven. “To invest in emission-free drives that have an impact both at sea
and in ports is the best solution to address the emissions contributing to
climate change. Together with Haropa Port, Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Hamburg, we
are sending, therefore, an important signal for fair competition, for clean
shipping and clean supply chains, for maritime climate protection.”
The ports acknowledged that onshore power cannot be the
solution for all berths, vessel types, and sizes of vessel, but they believe
that significant steps forward can be taken in the ultra-large containership
segment. They highlighted a strong business case for retrofitting or equipping
large container ships for shore power and point to the level of readiness among
these vessels to use cold ironing. They also said the call frequency of
containerships at the terminals, the average berth duration, and the high-power
demand of these ships create the case to focus on this segment.
Considering the size and energy demand of ships, the
deployment of onshore power however will require large investments with
technological challenges to be overcome the ports noted. These mainly relate to
frequency conversion, grid connections, and flexibility needs, which, together
with a lack of public funding, the uncertainty regarding the use of the
installation, and the price difference between bunker fuels and electricity,
constitute just a few of the many hurdles that are currently delaying the
uptake of this technology.
“We call upon policymakers, private and public stakeholders
to join our initiative and put in place the right framework to enable a step
forward in the deployment of OPS to the benefit of emission reductions in our
ports and the further greening of the shipping sector,” said Jacques
Vandermeiren, CEO Port of Antwerp.
Several of the ports noted that they already have multiple
efforts underway for shore power. Rotterdam, for example, has already realized
several shore power projects and is planning to execute ten more, bigger scale
projects in the next few years and then to scale up based on the experience
gained. Haropa Port also has ongoing projects for the maritime cruise terminal
in Le Havre and along the Seine from Paris to Le Havre for inland cruise and
inland freight vessels sailing through Rouen.