Kapellskär, Naantali ports win EU funding to reduce emissions

Swedish Port of Kapellskär, together with Finnish Port of Naantali, has been granted EU funding to reduce, among other things, air pollutant emissions from shipping.

The funding is also said to augment the investments made by Ports of Stockholm to meet service demands of customers and future needs.

This summer, the EU decided to support eight Swedish infrastructure projects with grants from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Fund. Two of the projects are Ports of Stockholm initiatives to promote a stronger Stockholm region.

One of the agreements has now been signed, with the goal to strengthen the links between the Port of Kapellskär and the Port of Naantali to reduce, among other things, emissions of air pollutants within the port areas.

“We are very happy that the agreement with the EU has now been signed. The development of Port of Kapellskär is strategically significant for sustainable shipping,” Bino Drummond (M), Deputy Chairman of Port of Kapellskär, commented.

“More goods arriving by sea, using routes such as Naantali to Kapellskär, ensures long-term sustainable development and growth of the entire Stockholm region. Further development of Port of Kapellskär is therefore something we welcome and prioritize highly.”

Port of Kapellskär is part of one of the most important maritime links in Europe for the transport of passengers and cargo, and has been designated a comprehensive port within the extensive EU Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The EU grant is part of the Motorways of the Sea EU priority initiative.

“Increasing traffic volumes at Port of Kapellskär, in combination with the environmental challenges faced by society mean that the benefits of the joint EU project with Port of Naantali will be both effective and sustainable,” Peter Lundman, Technical Operations Manager at Port of Kapellskär, said.

“I believe that the capabilities to provide onshore power to the vessels, an automatic mooring system, and a new passenger tower are excellent competitive solutions for the future.”

Specifically, the project will encompass investments in facilities for the provision of onshore power for vessels at the quayside. Connecting to onshore power significantly reduces the environmental impact of vessels in port, as the vessels can shut down their engines and operate instead using electricity from the local power grid. The project to provide onshore power connections has also been awarded funding from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

To meet customer demand for services and future needs an auto-mooring capability will be installed. This will make operations at the quayside safer, more efficient and more competitive, as loading and unloading times will be reduced. A new passenger tower will also be built, to make embarkation and disembarkation easier for foot passengers.

The project will start during October/November 2020 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023.