Heerema and the Port of Rotterdam Authority announced that Heerema Marine Contractors’ largest crane vessels, Sleipnir and Thialf have officially switched from using their engines to using shore power.
The successful commissioning of the shore power project is the result of a partnership between Eneco, the Port of Rotterdam Authority and Heerema with the support of the Gemeente Rotterdam. There is a global demand to reduce our impact on the planet and the partners involved in the shore power project are all dedicated to supporting the energy transition.
Shore power enables vessels to switch off their engines and plug into the electrical grid for their energy supply. The connection built by Heerema, Eneco and the Port of Rotterdam Authority will supply Sleipnir and Thialf with sustainable energy that will originate from wind turbines located on the headland nearby or from another renewable source should it be required.
The shore power connection has a 20 MW capacity, which is the energy equivalent of around 15,000 homes. As the vessels turn off their engines when connected to shore power, virtually all emissions and particulate matter is prevented because no more marine gas oil or LNG in Sleipnir’s case will be used. This action has direct benefits for local residents with air quality improvements and a reduction in CO2. Also, without the engines running there is a significant reduction in noise nuisance.
When Heerema's vessels turn off their engines when moored in the port of Rotterdam for a standard repair and maintenance period there is a saving of 15,000 metric tons of CO2, 20 metric tons of particulate matter, 5 metric tons of sulfur and a significant amount of nitrogen– comparable to the annual emissions of 5,000 diesel cars.
With tens of thousands of ships (almost 30,000) visiting the port of Rotterdam every year, many of which running on diesel engines, there is a need to take action and reduce these emissions. By using shore power, vessels can switch off their diesel generators, saving up to 25,000 liters of diesel per day per ship and improving air quality and significantly reducing noise.
At least 90 percent of the offshore, ferries, cruise and roll-on-roll-off ships and container ships in Rotterdam must use shore power by 2030. This saves the emission of approximately 200,000 tons of CO2 and 2500 tons of nitrogen. This means a major step towards an increasingly cleaner and future-proof port The installation at Heerema’s mooring location at the Calandkanaal is a great milestone that was support by the municipality of Rotterdam using the Energy Transition Budget (2.0 million).
The shore power project first begun in 2017, and since the idea was formed the partners have been working together to achieve this sustainable ambition. There was an enormous amount of work contributed to the successful commissioning of this project. With 16 km of cabling installed onboard the vessels, the construction of an onshore E-house, and over 40,000 working hours contributed to shore power.