The ‘Vasco de Gama’ of the CMA CGM Group was the first containership to be consistently supplied with shore power at Container Terminal Hamburg (CTH)
This was preceded by several tests on various systems and ships. In the future, containerships will be able to receive power from renewable sources on land when at the dock, rather than using their engines.
Dr Peter Tschentscher, First Mayor of Hamburg, said: “Hamburg is the first port in Europe to offer shore power for cruise and containerships.
“From 2025, all large cruise and container terminals in the port will have shore power connections. This is unique in Europe and an important step towards reducing CO2 and pollutant emissions in the Port of Hamburg.”
Jens Meier, CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority, said: “This project was launched when there were still many uncertainties regarding the use of shore-side power. The proportion of container ships in Europe capable of using shore power was almost zero.
“Despite these uncertainties, we decided to go ahead and pave the way for a more sustainable future. In doing so, Hamburg has raised its global profile as an innovative pioneer and doer.”
The new plant, which will be located at CTH, will provide shore-side power to the terminal’s three mega-ship berths via connections with a capacity of 7.5 megavolt-amperes (MVA) each. It will provide the ships with renewable energy from the public grid provided by HEnW.
A total of around €13 million ($14 million) was invested during the two-year development period; in addition to Hamburg’s share, the German government, through the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, contributed 50 per cent of the costs.
The Hamburg Port Authority is finalising contractual agreements on the usage and conditions with shipping firms authorised to utilise shore-side electricity, expanding on existing agreements with Hamburg port customers.
In 2023, the port registered a solid container throughput of 7.7 million TEU, despite facing economic challenges.