Clean shore power for large offshore vessels

If everything works out, large offshore vessels, while moored in the Port of Rotterdam, will be fully powered by green electricity. Heerema Marine Contracters, energy supplier Eneco and the Port of Rotterdam Authority have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to make this happen in the near future. The use of shore power for moored vessels at this scale is an industry first in the world.

A vessel is not only operational when she is sailing the high seas. Once moored in a port, a ship is not shut down. A moored vessel needs electricity for all kinds of functions. Large generators generate this energy, but with the help of fossil fuels. Running the generators results in noise and emissions. Heerema Marine Contractors wants to avoid that with an ambitious plan to connect their vessels with the shore to get their electricity. And when their vessels have sailed off, working on projects, others ships are welcome too.  

“We plan to build 20 Megawatts worth of electrical infrastructure at the Calandkanaal in the Port of Rotterdam,” says Vincent Doedée. As Sustainability Advisor of Heerema Marine Contractors he is the initiator of the project. “Next to that, it is our intention to give our fleet, when in port, 100 per cent green energy.” Heerema wants to use local wind turbines to generate the electricity.

Heerema cannot realise this project alone. Because of the reach and complexity, partners are needed. “Our main partners are energy supplier Eneco and the Port of Rotterdam Authority. Each organisation has its own expertise. Together we are going to do this project.” The first official step was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly perform a feasibility study on the creation of shore power infrastructure in the Calandkanaal.  Katja Langen, Director Business Development of Eneco, Saskia Rijtema, COO of Heerema and Yvonne van der Laan, Director of Process Industry & Bulk Goods at the Port of Rotterdam Authority signed the memorandum. 

The idea behind the Shore Power Connection is that a ship uses electricity from the shore to power. Every time a vessel visits the shore, a large plug is connected to the vessel. In order to fully electrify the vessels of Heerema Marine Contractors in the Calandkanaal, a shore power connection of approximately 20MVA is required. This is pending the current feasibility study.

Not only the infrastructure on the shore has to be developed. The vessels have to be adjusted too. “It is envisioned all vessels – Sleipnir, Thialf and Aegir – are converted to accommodate shore power while retaining their functional capabilities,” says Doedée. The focus is not only on the input, but also on the output. “We are definitely looking at energy efficiency onboard. Especially the cranes have our intention. They need a lot of energy and we are analysing how they are used when moored.”     

Connecting Heerema Marine Contractors’ fleet to the grid by sustainable energy will provide a significant reduction in terms of emissions and noise. Due to the fact the diesel generators will be switched off shortly after the vessel is moored, nearly all emissions – CO2, NOX, SOX and PM – will be eliminated by Heerema in the channel. In the future, even more vessels could be connected to the grid to reduce the (carbon) footprint even further. In addition to the emissions saved, noise generation will be reduced significantly too.

Heerema will not use all the capacity of the Shore Power Connection. “Our vessels will be out doing their jobs. That leaves the charging station available for other vessels. We are looking for other ship owners who are interested in shore power in the Calandkanaal.”

At the moment other organisations have committed themselves to the project. “We are looking for additional partners and subsidy/grant providers that can assist and facilitate in this feasibility study phase. The addition of other marine partners who are interested in mooring in the Calandkanaal could potentially be beneficial to the development of shore power in the Rotterdam area, as risks will be reduced for all parties involved,” says Doedée. “We believe that together, by freely and openly sharing information, we create a sustainable and economically feasible business case that is a win-win situation for everyone involved.”

At the moment the Calandkanaal is being redeveloped. In line with the ambitions of the Port of Rotterdam, a lot of projects are sustainable. A new LNG bunkering berth is constructed and artificial tide pools are installed to improve marine life.

This article was previously published in Maritime Holland magazine, issue 5, 2018