Shore power drives sustainable shipping

On 8-9 February, shipping company Wilson moored Wilson Goole at VCK Logistics’ Waterland Terminal in the Port of Amsterdam. The ship received power via a Skoon battery that can supply green energy anywhere in Amsterdam and is filled with local wind energy from Windpark Ruigoord or with energy from biomass from AE.

“With this, it is capable of supplying 630 kWh of electricity. This equates to at least twelve hours of shore power,” said the Port of Amsterdam.

“The test shows that it is possible to provide large ships with energy on a regular basis by means of a battery. On locations with a small grid connection, up to 550 kW of peak power can be supplied for longer periods,” added the port.

This has recently been done in cooperation with the Shared Energy Platform (SEP), an initiative of the Port of Amsterdam to increase the available capacity in the electricity grid.

Connecting large vessels to shore power requires ship modifications. Wilson Eurocarriers sails to Amsterdam on a weekly basis and has already made modifications to 80 of its 126 ships.

Clean shipping is part of the Port of Amsterdam’s 2021 – 2025 strategy and the port’s work includes providing shore power at locations within the ‘ring’ road. This is already possible for inland navigation and river cruise ships. The port now wants to expand this further for a wide range of vessels at the various terminals.