Europe’s largest shore power plant opened

A new shore power plant for cruise ships has been officially inaugurated in Rostock-Warnemünde, Germany.

The plant was opened with one of AIDA Cruises’ vessels, AIDAsol, during the 12th German National Maritime Conference on 10 May 2021.

The shore power plant, which was completed in summer 2020, is currently the largest in Europe. With an output of up to 20 megavolt amperes (MVA), two cruise ships can be supplied with electricity at the same time in Warnemünde at berths P7 and P8.

Back in 2018, the cruise company, the state government of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock and Rostock Port signed a joint agreement to establish shore power supply for cruise vessels.

“With our green cruising strategy, we have been investing in a sustainable cruise market for many years,” Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises, commented.

“The shore power plant in Rostock-Warnemünde is another important step after the facility in Hamburg on our way to an emission-neutral cruise that we want to achieve with our fleet.”

The use of shore power to supply ships with energy is said to be “a decisive step” for AIDA Cruises to reduce local emissions to zero during berthing over time, as a cruise ship typically stays in port around 40% of its operating time.

Since 2017, AIDA Cruises has been using Europe’s first shore power plant in Hamburg-Altona with AIDAsol in regular operation. Currently, 10 ships in the AIDA fleet can use shore power where available or are technically prepared for it. The aim is to convert all ships built from 2000 onwards accordingly.

As part of its green cruising strategy, AIDA Cruises has been investing in a sustainable cruise operation for several years. Further practical steps on the way to the zero-emission ship of the future are already in preparation, according to the company.

This year, AIDAnova will receive the first fuel cell to be used on an ocean-going cruise ship.

In 2022, the largest battery storage system to date in cruise shipping will go into operation on board an AIDA ship. In addition, the company is already addressing the question of how regenerative fuels can be used on board cruise ships in the future.