Seatrade Maritime: Rotterdam forges ahead on shore power with ABB

Rotterdam Shore Power, a joint venture between the Port of Rotterdam and Dutch energy company Eneco, has signed up ABB to construct and commission shore power systems for three deep-sea container terminals. Power will be provided at 35 connection points in the APM Terminals Maasvlakte II facility, and the Hutchison Ports ECT Delta and Hutchison Ports ECT Euromax terminals. 

The project will ensure that Europe’s largest port complies with the FuelEU Maritime Regulation. This requires all container and passenger ships of more than 5,000 gt to use onshore power systems or equivalent zero-emission technology in EU ports from 2030.

The systems, expected to be the largest in the world with a total of 100 megavolt-amperes (MVA) will enable container ships to turn off engines on berth and start using shore power from the second half of 2028.

Rotterdam Shore Power estimates that on completion of the project in 2030, vessels calling at the three deep-sea terminals, when using shore power 90% of the time, will enable the port to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by around 96,000 tonnes a year. 

President of ABB’s Marine & Ports division, Rune Braastad, commented: “This large-scale, multi-installation project for Rotterdam Shore Power demonstrates ABB’s expertise in delivering shore power from concept to connection. Our efficient, proven end-to-end solutions cover everything from design and commissioning to maintenance and support, while minimising disruption to operations during the installation phase. We are proud to contribute to the Port of Rotterdam’s decarbonisation journey in what represents a significant step towards realising the EU’s ambition for emission-free ports.”