Wabtec Corporation and the Port of Kiel celebrated today the installation of a sustainable shore power solution to support cruise operators. ShoreCONNECT has the potential to reduce nearly all emissions from cruise ships by providing shore power while berthing at the port.

“The installation of our ShoreCONNECT solution will advance the port’s sustainability efforts,” said Olivier Kompaore, vice president for power collection for Wabtec. “A large cruise ship typically burns through 30,000 liters of diesel every 8-10 hours it spends at port. ShoreCONNECT provides cruise operators a clean, alternative power source while berthing, which reduces operating costs, emissions and noise.”

The ShoreCONNECT mobile carrier system is a flexible solution that connects electrical power to vessels at port, eliminating the need to use diesel. This approach reduces fuel consumption and carbon emission drastically. It also provides an important reduction in noise and vibrations as the engines will be turned off while the vessels will be connected to ShoreCONNECT.

“The Ports of Kiel and the Port of Rostock are focused on running progressive, sustainable operations,” said Kompaore. “These ShoreCONNECT installations will position them to help address the required 40-percent reduction in CO2 emissions from ships by 2030 and support the local sulfur emission control area established in the Baltic region.”

The solution at Kiel connects one vessel to shore power with up to 16 MVA High Voltage, self-propelled, zero-emission vehicle. ShoreCONNECT is also installed Kiel’s at ferry terminal. Both conform to the ISO standard IEC 80005-1.

The system can meet the full shore-power needs of large vessels. It also enables fast handling by a single operator and features a fully automated tidal-range compensation.