Cleaner shipping in Gothenburg

Throughout the world it is most common for vessels to use their auxiliary engines when at berth to generate electricity on board. Allowing the diesel engines on one single vessel to remain running during a ten-hour stopover can generate up to 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Turning off the engines and using onshore power supply instead would result in significant environmental gains. Carbon dioxide emissions would fall significantly and sulphur dioxide and nitric oxide emissions would disappear completely. Furthermore, onshore power supply would result in a quieter port environment and a better working environment. “Gothenburg is a living port city and shipping is part of the city’s soul. It is a matter of ensuring that the highly important ferry traffic is as optimal as possible in environmental terms, especially close to the city centre. Connecting the vessels to onshore power supply is a forceful measure to reduce emissions and noise,” states Magnus Kårestedt, chief executive of the Port of Gothenburg. The new onshore power supply facility, which has been developed by ABB, is the result of a joint investment initiative by Stena Line and the Port of Gothenburg. With the commissioning of the new facility all Stena Line’s five passenger and freight ferries will be connected to onshore power supply when at berth. In total, one in three vessels that put into Gothenburg can use this technology – a unique figure in international terms. What is unique about the new facility is that it transforms 50 hertz, the standard frequency for alternating current in Europe, to 60 hertz, which is the system frequency used on the majority of vessels. In many parts of the world preparations are under way to make the ports more eco-friendly through the use of onshore power supply. A key part of this process is producing a joint international standard for connections and in this respect the new facility at the Port of Gothenburg could act as a role model. The Port of Gothenburg was one of the first ports in the world to offer onshore power supply and as a result it has attracted a great deal of attention internationally. Today the Port is involved in several global collaborative networks aimed at spreading this technology to other ports around the world. At present it is passenger and freight carriers operating scheduled traffic within Europe that use this technology. A preliminary study is now being conducted to examine the possibility of offering the same eco-smart opportunity to the container vessels and cruise ships that put into Gothenburg.