Ports of Stockholm breaks ground on Sweden’s 1st cruise ship onshore power connection

Ports of Stockholm is investing in the construction of onshore power connection facilities for cruise ships at two city centre quays.

By plugging into onshore power supplied from the local electricity grid cruise ships can shut down their engines and significantly reduce their environmental impact.

Building the facilities at Stadsgården quay berths 167 and 160 makes Ports of Stockholm the first port in Sweden to offer cruise ships onshore power connection. The groundbreaking ceremony to begin the construction took place during the World Water Week 2022 (23 August to 1 September).

“We are now taking a huge next step towards being an international class sustainable cruise destination. Onshore power connection for cruise ships in the city centre is an important joint environmental initiative that Ports of Stockholm is part of, together with other Baltic Sea ports,” explains Joakim Larsson, City Commissioner responsible for Ports of Stockholm.

The initiative is a collaboration with other Baltic Sea ports, including the ports in Copenhagen, Aarhus and Helsinki to enable cruise ships and shipping companies to connect to onshore power of a common international standard in all of the different ports. The move is aimed at encouraging more shipping companies to invest in ship-based equipment to connect to onshore power.

“It feels really good that we will also be able to connect cruise ships to onshore power next season. This will be the first facility of its kind in Sweden, and one of only a few in Europe. The cruise passengers are very important to Stockholm financially, and generate over 1,000 jobs in the region,” says Thomas Andersson, CEO Ports of Stockholm.

The work to equip the two city centre quays with onshore power connections is scheduled for completion in 2023 and 2024, respectively. It is estimated that at least 45 percent of the cruise ship calls will be able to connect to onshore power when the facilities are in place.

The port estimates that the total reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the cold ironing facilities will be at least 6,000 tonnes per year.

This investment has been awarded grant funding from both the EU and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leap program.