Swedish shore power first

Ports of Stockholm is building onshore power connection facilities for cruise ships at two city centre quays in order to lower air pollution emissions in the Baltic Sea.

“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,” says Thomas Andersson, CEO Ports of Stockholm.

Swedish first

Building the facilities at Stadsgården quay berths 167 and 160 will make Ports of Stockholm the first port in Sweden to offer cruise ships onshore power connection.

The environmental initiative is a collaboration with other Baltic Sea ports. Ports of Stockholm is working with the ports in Copenhagen, Aarhus and Helsinki to enable cruise ships and shipping companies to connect to onshore power with a common international standard in each port.

It’s hoped this will encourage more shipping companies to make the major investments in equipment that the ships need to connect to onshore power.

Work to equip the two city centre quays with onshore power connections will be completed, respectively, in 2023 and 2024. These cruise quay-berths are two of Ports 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 are in place.

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 environmental investment for cruise ships in Stockholm is a top priority and has been awarded grant funding from both the EU and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leap program.