The Port of Kiel has completed the final phase of construction on its extensive shore power infrastructure. With the new expansion, the PORT OF KIEL can now supply up to three cruise ships and four ferries with emission-free electricity at the same time. The port has been providing seagoing vessels with green shore power since 2019, making it a pioneer in Europe.
At the weekend, the Port of Kiel commissioned its second shore power facility for cruise ships at the Ostseekai terminal. Instead of one cruise ship as before, the extension to the terminal now means that two cruise ships can be supplied with shore power at the same time. Another cruise ship can use shore power at the Ostuferhafen terminal. The now completed extension is the final component of Kiel’s shore power infrastructure, which is one of the most extensive in the world.
Dr. Dirk Claus, Managing Director of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG, says: ’With this commissioning, we as a port are completing the development of our shore power infrastructure. Seven seagoing vessels can now be supplied with green shore power at the same time in the Port of Kiel – including three cruise ships alone.‘ He further emphasises: ’We have invested 50 million euros in shore power alone in recent years and were already able to reduce 60 per cent of ship emissions through shore power supply last year. In 2026, we will supply 80 per cent of all ships with shore power.’
The new shore power facility at Ostseekai, with a capacity of 16 MVA, 50/60 Hz, 6.6/11 kV, is an extension of the facility at Ostseekai that has been in operation since 2021 (also 16 MVA, 50/60 Hz, 6.6/11 kV). This means that when two ships call at the cruise terminal at the same time, both can be supplied with shore power in parallel. ‘In the past and also in the current season, there have been repeated days when both cruise ships wanted to use shore power at the Ostseekai. This is a strong signal: the demand from shipping companies for the use of shore power is extremely high and we are delighted with the really good cooperation here,’ says Claus. Construction of the extension began in November 2024 and was completed on schedule.
The partners in the new facility were PowerCon, Siemens, Inros Lackner and Stemmann. The partners in the new facility were PowerCon, Siemens, Inros Lackner and Stemmann. The expansion of the shore power infrastructure in Kiel was made possible by funding from the federal government, the state of Schleswig-Holstein and the European Union. The financial assistance from the federal and state governments comes from the Climate and Transformation Fund and the Joint Task for the Improvement of Regional Economic Structures (GRW).
Shipping companies use shore power in Kiel
The Port of Kiel worked closely with shipping companies from an early stage to introduce shore power. Starting with the daily supply of shore power to Color Line ferries in 2019 and Stena Line ferries in 2021, the port also quickly created shore power infrastructure for cruise ships. In 2021, the AIDAsol became the first cruise ship in Kiel to be supplied with shore power. In close coordination with various shipping companies, technical upgrades were carried out step by step on board and integration processes between the ship and the system were implemented. In 2024, the number of uses had already reached 120 cruise ship calls during the season. To date, 24 different cruise ships have used the Kiel facilities on over 270 calls. Despite a break in supply lasting several weeks due to the construction phase, the port expects a similar amount of shore power for ferries and cruise ships this year, amounting to approximately 10 million kilowatt hours, as in the previous year.
Expansion of Kiel’s infrastructure
The expansion of the shore power infrastructure was one of the prioritised projects of the Kiel seaport to reduce CO2 emissions and air/pollutant emissions from ships during layovers. Following the opening of the first shore power facility at Norwegenkai with a capacity of 4.5 MVA, 50 HZ, 10kV in 2019, a combined facility for supplying cruise ships at Ostseekai (16 MVA, 50/60 Hz, 6.6/11kV) and ferries at Schwedenkai (5 MVA, 50/60 Hz, 6.6/11kV). In September 2023, a shore power facility was also opened at the freight hub at Ostuferhafen, which technically connects four berths and has supply capacities for one cruise ship and up to two ferries. (Combined facility 16 MVA & 4.5 MVA, 50/60Hz, 6.6/11kV) With the expansion at Ostseekai, the construction of the shore power infrastructure in Kiel has now been finalised. The PORT OF KIEL is pursuing the goal of completely eliminating its CO₂ emissions by 2030 at the latest – an ambitious but necessary contribution to the maritime energy transition.
Source: cyprusshippingnews.com
