FuelEU: two months left to prepare 

Ports are challenged by the push to introduce electricity from quayside charging stations and to build bunkering infrastructure for green fuels. Ms Kroon said the European Commission is aware of these challenges and is willing to offer concessions and extensions to enable more time for investment.

Port of Bergen is one of the most advanced in Norway, and especially Europe, in adopting technologies for delivering shore power to ships – and is continuing to improve this to reduce the environmental footprint of offshore support vessels (OSVs) and cruise ships using the port. These have different power and voltage requirements, said Port of Bergen commercial manager, Nils Møllerup.

“All ships in Bergen need to be offered green hydropower electric and we have 48 MW available,” he said. Bergen splits this, with low voltage for OSVs and electric ferries, and high voltage for cruise ships, for which it has three connections.

“Different ships have different requirements in connections, voltages, power capacity and frequencies... there is no one standard,” said Mr Møllerup.

“Shore charging needs to be economically sustainable and funded. It needs traffic, different ship connections and a lot of electricity. With the smaller vessels, there are questions over sustainability.”

Port of Bergen and DNV introduced the environmental port index (EPI) for the world’s main cruise ships to keep track with whether these vessels use shore power where available. “We can provide incentives, such as 25% rebates on harbour fees if ships use shore power, or add 150% on top of port fees if not,” said Mr Møllerup.

As more ports introduce shore power in Norway, Iceland and the UK, they can use the EPI. “In 2024, we are connecting 50% of cruise ships, and in 2026, expect to connect 100%.”

QinetiQ expert on marine electrical power and propulsion, Dave Gorshkov outlined challenges ports need to overcome to introduce shore charging for various vessels.

This includes sourcing energy from national and local grid operators and power companies, understanding future demand for electricity from ships in the port, and the wattage and voltage requirements. “Connections can be different on different ships” even between those in the same fleet, “so positioning shoreside battery charging is important,” said Mr Gorshkov. “Each charging station is almost custom-built for each port, cable management is different, and harmonics are important issue of concern.”

Solutions for ports include having onshore and quayside energy storage systems and ensuring there is flexibility in providing this power to different ship types.  

The Maritime Hybrid, Electric & Hydrogen Fuel Cell Conference took place in Bergen, Norway on 29-31 October 2024, looking at key trends, regulations, class rules and the development of zero-emissions ecosystems.