Driving down vessel emissions with shore power

The shore connection technology supports DEME’s long-term decarbonisation strategy, providing the flexibility required to adapt to changing grid capabilities.

“This project is part of DEME’s wider strategy to integrate its sustainable business goals with daily operations,” said Marc De Boom, department manager, DEME Base Vlissingen.

“DEME has high ambitions regarding CO₂ reductions and we are proud to be the first Belgian marine contractor who achieved the highest level of the CO₂ performance ladder, which is widely used in the Netherlands and Belgium. We are happy to collaborate with ABB, an experienced and reliable technology leader with a solid track record in shore connection installations.”

Shore power

Shore connection will enable DEME’s diverse fleet of dredgers, offshore construction and support vessels to avoid carbon emissions by shutting off their engines and drawing on shore power while at berth.

DEME has set itself a goal of cutting 40% from the greenhouse gases generated by its fleet by 2030 compared to 2008, moving significantly ahead of the revised emissions reduction target set by the International Maritime Organization in 2023.

ABB will install shore power to connect to suitably equipped vessels calling at Vlissingen’s DEME base by the end of 2024, as part of the “Temporary Shore Power Grant Scheme for Marine Vessels 2022 – 2023”, a government-supported initiative that stimulates the construction and use of shore power facilities in Dutch seaports.

Ultimately planned as a 2MvA converter, ABB’s shoreside shore connection will run at a lower 1.75MvA until the local grid can deliver sufficient capacity between the substation and the power outlet at the dock.

In a straightforward installation, the entire solution will be housed in two ISO containers – one 40-ft unit and one 20-ft unit.