Zinus to develop next-gen shore power solution for cruise ships

Norwegian provider of shore power solutions Zinus AS has received a contract from compatriot company Havnekraft AS to develop and deliver a flexible shore power solution for cruise ships calling at Haugesund Cruise Port. 

As informed, Havnekraft — a company owned by Karmsund Port Authorities and the energy company Haugaland Kraft — wants to offer shore power to the cruise ships calling at Garpeskjærskaien in Haugesund.

For several years, Zinus has offered the Shore Power Cruiser – a mobile and flexible system for transmitting high-voltage shore power to cruise ships and other large vessels.

The company is now taking the technology one step further, in line with a recent contract with Havnekraft.

“Havnekraft wants to offer shore power to cruise ships calling at Garpeskjærskaien in Haugesund and has given Zinus the task of developing the next generation shore power connection for this type of vessel,” Ronny Olson, sales director at Zinus, said.

“The new system will be an “all-in-one solution” that focuses on fast connection, easy user operation and reduced operating costs. The product must also be able to manage large power variations and give Havnekraft a high degree of flexibility.”

According to Tine Osmundsen, chairman of Havnekraft, thanks to the new concept, the company will be able to remove the cable handling unit when it is not in use, which provides good utilization of the quay also between cruise calls and outside the cruise season.

2,500 tons of CO2 to be saved per season

So far, Karmsund Port Authorities has booked 120 cruise calls in 2022, and around 90 per cent of these ships can receive shore power.

The goal is to sell up to nine million kilowatt-hours of electricity during an ordinary season. This will result in a reduction in CO2 emissions of around 2,500 tonnes per season, compared to if the ships are running their diesel generators while docked.

In addition to the climate and environmental benefits the port achieves with shore power from Zinus, Havnekraft also gets an extra advantage from the short distance between Haugesund and Zinus’ technology environment at Bømlo.

Specifically, the new generation shore power connection for cruise ships will largely be based on the current solution from Zinus. Four such systems are currently installed in the port of Bergen.

In addition to supplying renewable electricity to docked cruise ships docked, both the existing and upcoming Shore Power Cruiser solutions also contribute to improved port logistics, as well as better preservation and maintenance of cables and plugs, through the systems’ handling and storing of cables and connectors.

To further strengthen the environmental and climate friendliness of the shore power solution, the cable management unit from Zinus is equipped with batteries and an electric motor to ensure zero-emission transportation along the quayside.