Ports of Stockholm has taken an important step towards more sustainable shipping by inaugurating Sweden's first onshore power connection for cruise ships. The facility allows ships to connect to electricity at berth, reducing emissions and noise levels. This strengthens Stockholm's position as a premium destination for sustainable cruise traffic.
Ports of Stockholm has inaugurated one of Europe's first and Sweden's very first facility for onshore power supply, OPS, for international cruise ships. The new facility was officially put into operation on 17 September when the shipping company TUI Cruises´s brand new vessel Mein Schiff 7 was connected.
The new high-voltage facility is built to international standards and allows ships to switch off their auxiliary engines while at berth. This reduces emissions of air pollutants and reduces noise levels. At least 45 per cent of cruise calls at Ports of Stockholm can now connect to electricity. The electricity used is 100 per cent green and comes from renewable sources such as wind and hydro power.
Ports of Stockholm rewards shipping customers who implement environmental improvement measures. This is done by offering 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.
Ports of Stockholm has long offered reception facilities for black and grey water from ships, and 85 percent of all cruise calls in Stockholm use these facilities. Most cruise vessels have their own sewage treatment plants on board and can also store wastewater in their tanks for longer periods and then leave it in another port. Ships are obliged to leave solid waste in port, and source-separated waste is subject to reduced waste disposal fees.
Together with three other Baltic Sea ports - Copenhagen/Malmö, Aarhus and Helsinki - Ports of Stockholm has received EU funding for investments in OPS. One of the facilities in Stockholm has also received support from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency's Klimatklivet initiative.
Ports of Stockholm is working long-term to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants together with its shipping customers, and to reduce noise levels from ships and port operations. The aim is to achieve zero emissions from shipping in the port areas by 2040. Expanding onshore power connection for ships is one of the key measures to achieve this goal.
