Ports of Stockholm has inaugurated Sweden’s second electricity connection for international cruise ships.
Two facilities now enable more ships to connect to electricity while berthed, reducing air emissions and noise levels.
The second was put into operation on 12th May when the ‘Viking Jupiter’ was connected. Last year, Ports of Stockholm opened Sweden’s first electricity connection for cruise ships.
“The inauguration of Sweden’s second onshore power connection for cruise ships is another important milestone for us and for the environment, and we are proud to be able to offer a more climate-smart solution for our shipping customers.
“It contributes greatly to creating a sustainable premium destination for cruise traffic, both in Stockholm and in the entire Baltic Sea region,” said Jens Holm, Chair of the Board of Ports of Stockholm.
The new high-voltage facility is built according to international standards and allows ships to switch off their auxiliary engines while berthed.
With the two facilities, Ports of Stockholm can connect about half of all cruise ships calling at Stockholm.
The electricity used is 100% green and comes from renewable sources, such as wind and hydro power.
Ports of Stockholm is working actively and long term in order to, together with its shipping customers, significantly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants, and reduce noise levels from ships and port operations.
Expanding OPS access for ships is one of the key measures to achieve this objective.
Together with three other Baltic Sea ports – Copenhagen/Malmö, Aarhus and Helsinki – Ports of Stockholm has received EU funding for the investment in OPS at the centrally located quay Stadsgården 160.
Ports of Stockholm also rewards shipping customers who implement environmental improvement measures. This is undertaken through discounts on port fees for ships that achieve high environmental performance, according to the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) and Clean Shipping Index (CSI).
The discounts aim to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and particles.
Cruise ships calling at Ports of Stockholm can also discharge their wastewater at the cruise quays. Four out of five of all international cruise ships now use these facilities.
However, not all vessels discharge wastewater during their call – many have advanced wastewater treatment plants on board to treat it or store it in tanks for discharge at a later port.
Ships are mandated to deliver their solid waste to port, and source-separated waste results in reduced waste fees.
Much of the ferry traffic using Ports of Stockholm has been connected to OPS for some time.
