Ports of Stockholm is building onshore power connection facilities for cruise ships at two city centre quays.
This environmental initiative will result in significantly lower air pollution emissions in Stockholm and the Baltic Sea, the ports’ authority claimed.
Building the facilities at Stadsgården quay berths Nos. 167 and 160 will make Ports of Stockholm the first Swedish port to offer cruise ships onshore power connection.
“We are now taking a huge next step towards being an international class sustainable cruise destination. Onshore power connection for cruise ships in the city centre is an important joint environmental initiative that Ports of Stockholm is part of, together with other Baltic Sea ports,” explained Joakim Larsson, City Commissioner responsible for Ports of Stockholm.
This initiative is a collaboration project with other Baltic Sea ports. It will result in significantly lower emissions of CO2 and particulate matter from cruise ships in Stockholm and the Baltic Sea area.
Ports of Stockholm is working with Copenhagen, Aarhus and Helsinki port authorities to enable cruise ships and shipping companies to connect to onshore power of a common international standard in each of the ports.
This will encourage more shipping companies to make the major investments in equipment that the ships need to connect to onshore power, the authority said.
“It feels really good that we will also be able to connect cruise ships to onshore power next season. This will be the first facility of its kind in Sweden, and one of only a few in Europe. The cruise passengers are very important to Stockholm financially, and generate over 1,000 jobs in the region,” said Thomas Andersson, Ports of Stockholm CEO.
Work to equip the two city centre quays with onshore power connections will be completed in 2023 and 2024, respectively. These cruise quays are two of Stockholm’s most visited. It is estimated that at least 45% of the cruise ship calls will be able to connect to onshore power when the facilities become operational.
The total reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will be at least 6,000 tonnes each year, as a result of connecting to onshore power. This investment has been awarded grant funding from both the EU and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leap programme.
In 2019, just over 656,000 cruise passengers and an additional 240,000 crew members visited Stockholm. Collectively they spent more than €57 mill on hotel rooms, food, sightseeing excursions, shopping, etc.
In addition, the cruise ship operators spent €25 mill on harbour, pilotage and fairway dues in Stockholm.
Therefore, the cruise industry contributes hugely to the Stockholm region, generating a total economic effect of almost €176 mill and creating around 1,100 jobs, it was claimed.
