Photo Cedit:Boskalis

The dredging sector, and shipping as a whole, is under increasing pressure to decarbonise. The International Maritime Organisation has set GHG emission targets for 2030 and 2050 that will need to be met by a myriad of solutions. Onshore power supply (OPS) - sometimes known as cold ironing - will form one important piece of the decarbonisation puzzle, with an estimated 68 ports around the world with installed OPS.

The appeal of OPS is its ability to improve air quality in ports and port cities and reduce emissions of air pollutants and noise and to a lesser extent carbon dioxide by replacing onboard-generated power from diesel auxiliary engines with electricity generated onshore.

To meet strong emission reduction commitments to reduce the environmental impact of the maritime sector, European ports have invested heavily in OSP in the last decade in major ports.

More than 80% of shore power facilities currently built are in Europe and more than 24,000 European ports aim to offer shore-side power facilities to vessels by 2030, according to Power Technology Research. In terms of installed number of systems, Norway ranks on top followed by Sweden, Germany, France, and Italy.

This should come as no surprise, with installations being accelerated thanks to EU directive 2014/94/EU, which requires EU ports to install shore power facilities by the end of 2025 “unless there is no demand and the costs are disproportionate to the benefits”. A general overview of OPS solutions currently in operation in ports worldwide has also been compiled by the World Port Climate Action Programme (WPCAP) in collaboration with the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) World Ports Sustainability Program (WSP). The aim is to help support other ports that are considering the implementation of shore power solutions but provides a useful oversight on locations for owners and operators considering OSP investment.

Despite the clear opportunities to be able to charge dredgers while they are 'warm stacked' in between jobs at ports, to date it has been roro, ferries and cruise ships that have been the main focus of OPS. In response to this increased availability, shipowners are starting to make their vessels shore power ready. According to S&P Global data published in IAPH’s Ports & Harbors shows that around a tenth of the current container and cruise fleet can plug into onshore power. Further S&P Global figures show that as many as 786 vessels in the global fleet can utilise onshore power, while as many as 121 onshore power ready vessels are on order. However, opportunities are on the rise for the dredging industry, with new dredger-focused OPS installations also starting to emerge.

Boskalis gets dedicated shore power in Rotterdam

Dredging and offshore operator Boskalis is hoping to cut at-berth emissions at its Rotterdam maintenance quay by up to 90% from next year under a new project with the port authority and Dutch energy company Eneco.

The port and Eneco are building shore charging facilities at Boskalis’ quay in Waalhaven, from where the operator maintains vessels and mobilises them for dredging and offshore projects. The facility will deliver renewable electricity from Eneco’s Dutch wind and solar sources, and is expected to be completed on 1 June 2023.

By switching off generators on vessels using the two berths, Boskalis expects to reduce carbon emissions by 1,600 tonnes a year. The Port of Rotterdam and Eneco will own the shore charging facility while Boskalis will be responsible for the grid connection.

The project is the latest phase of Rotterdam’s plan to have 90% of ro-ro, offshore and passenger vessels using shore power by 2030. After the shore power electricity installation on the Rozenburg peninsula and the Hoek van Holland ferry terminal in Rotterdam, the Boskalis location in the Waalhaven will be the third quayside electricity installation for seagoing vessels in the Port of Rotterdam.

Port of Rotterdam Director, Environmental Management Eric van der Schans told CEDA Industry News that the port and the city had collaborated on a joint strategy and development programme to accelerate and scale up shore-based power for sea-going vessels. The first projects are due for completion by 2025, after which the port will adjust its 2030 targets or accelerate investment.

In March, Heerema Marine Contractors’ largest crane vessels, Sleipnir and Thialf also switched from using their engines to using shore power in Rotterdam. The port is hoping to encourage the use of clean energy for dredgers in operation as well as at berth. Van der Kamp’s LNG-fuelled hopper suction dredger Ecodelta is currently maintaining channels at the port.

The shore charging project is co-financed by the City of Rotterdam and the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.

Standardisation required

Speaking to CEDA Industry News, Roland Teixeira, president of the European Onshore Power Supply Association (EOPSA), noted the value and need for a universal standard for Onshore Power Supply (OPS). Little focus, he said, is “placed on global standards and indeed shipping routes reciprocity.” While discussions for such standards are underway they have yet to emerge, but will be vital in ensuring dredging, and all vessel sectors, can make the most of OPS in ports.

However, Teixeira said it is also a matter of speed of installations, which is currently holding back progress. “

In Carnival’s 2020 sustainability report, the company notes the current lack of onshore power resources in ports. It notes that more than 40% of its fleet is capable of plugging-in while in port, enabling power from more sustainable sources, however, “of the over 700 ports worldwide that we visit, there are approximately 21 ports that have the infrastructure capable to provide shore power connections to our fleet”.

EOPSA is on a mission to bring together key players across the energy, port and maritime industries to promote innovation, speed up installations and advocate for global solutions and “reciprocal adoption along shipping routes”.

Teixeira points to the recent Boskalis, Eneco and POR project in Rotterdam as a key example of the collaboration that accelerates OPS installations.

He further points to the offshore wind industry, highlighting that kick starting or speeding up deployment through government support and subsidies leads to innovation and growth, in turn rendering subsidies obsolete once competition really sets in.

“What has made the Boskalis project in Rotterdam successful is that an energy user and an energy producer came together and designed the commercial deal,” Teixeira explained. “Then, the Port Authority was able to bring to bear its expertise, helping to balance the deal with the right government support and thereby ensuring a level playing field.”

The EOPSA representative stressed that shipping lines are keen to decarbonise, city mayors’ begun taking “drastic measures” to turn back polluting ships, for example the Greek cruise ship Aegean Odyssey in Nice, and onshore power technology “has been proven for over 25 years”.

“We have a perfect cocktail to speed up installations! What are we waiting for?” Teixeira concluded.