Port of Tallinn gets its 1st shore power solution

Tallink Grupp’s vessel Victoria I was connected to shore power in Tallinn Old City Harbour for the first ever shore power charging in Estonia on 11 September.

Shore power can be used by the vessels operating the Estonian-Swedish as well as Estonian-Finnish routes.

The Port of Tallinn installed the latest ABB shore power systems on five of its piers in Old City Harbour, total investment amounting to EUR 3.5 million, which enable the vessels to reduce emissions and noise pollution by using the shore power during port stays and cut ships‘ fuel consumption.

To date, Tallink Grupp has invested EUR 3 million in shore power systems for five cruise ships. In the coming years, the company plans to equip a total of twelve cruise ships with shore power systems, amounting to EUR 6 million in total.

“Innovative use of shore power at Tallinn sea gate contributes to reducing emissions into the atmosphere and thus also to combating global warming. The transition to shore power is the only possible way – both air pollution and noise will decrease, meaning the city will become even more cleaner and quieter,” Mihhail Kõlvart, mayor of Tallinn, commented.

“The Port of Tallinn is firmly on its way to being the greenest port in Europe and this step supports the pursuit of City of Tallinn for the title of the European Green Capital in 2022.”

“Clean Baltic Sea and clean air are the priorities of sustainable development of the Port of Tallinn. Tallinn Old City Harbour is one of the busiest ports in Europe and the creation of shore power capacity is a significant step in reducing the environmental impact of ship traffic on urban space,” Valdo Kalm, chairman of the management board of the Port of Tallinn, said.

“Considering the improving air quality and decreasing noise, this is positive news for all citizens and visitors of Tallinn, as well as for ship operators who can contribute to ensuring cleaner and higher quality living environment with us.”

From now on, after mooring, the ship’s engines will be switched off and the vessel will be connected to the shore power supply. The ship’s energy load shall be transferred to the shore-side power supply without interfering with the services provided onboard.

The shore power solution is not only a significant reduction in emissions and noise pollution but also an important step towards more sustainable operations for shipping companies.

“I am glad that as of today our ships can use shore power already in two of our Baltic Sea home ports and we have jointly created the green bridge of shore power between Tallinn and Stockholm, where our ships have been using this solution for almost a year now,” Paavo Nõgene, CEO of Tallink Grupp, said.

“When renewing our entire fleet, we have set as one of the priorities to equip every cruise ship with shore power systems and currently already three of our ships can enjoy a greener stay in the Old City Harbour simultaneously. It is estimated that the CO2 emissions of one of our vessels using green shore power will decrease by 100 tons per month.”

Specifically, the technical solution of shore power enables to connect the ship to the terrestrial network at a voltage of 11 kilovolts. To ensure safety, duplicate control mechanisms are in place to ensure that the high voltage is switched off in all emergency situations. The connection of the vessel to the shore network is controlled by the vessel crew with a remote control. The ship’s power system operates without interruption in transition to shore power as well as when switching over to generator power.

“We are pleased to say that our shipping companies think big and are environmentally sustainable. It is an honour to be a part in creating Estonia’s first such solution and to contribute to the development of a greener urban space,” Jukka Patrikainen, regional manager for ABB Baltics, said.

The shore power solution was built by AS Elero. Scaleup (Shore-Link), whose engineers developed solutions for shore-based systems and a remote-controlled crane required for power connection, took part in creating the integral solution. The equipment and automation of the substation was ensured by the power network unit of ABB AS, i.e. today the already independent company ABB Power Grids Estonia AS. ABB engineers also helped to develop ship navigation system to make Tallink’s ships shore power capable.

The shore power project of the Port of Tallinn was co-financed by the European Union through TWIN-PORT III measure.