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Shore connection enabling sustainable port calls

ANIMATION

Grid to propeller

SAFETY

ABB’s high competence in electrical safety and safety standards are in place globally.

ELECTRIFICATION

ABB delivers shore connection and charging solutions for different vessel types enabling fully electric operations to support decarbonization targets.

SUSTAINABILITY

Cutting the local emissions in ports where ships can connect to shore power and even charge batteries for electric ship operations, with equipment that has the strictest regulatory compliance.

QUALITY

ABB delivers standardized quality systems, serving operations 24/7 with technical support and remote diagnostics.

Highlights

Generations: Business insight

Protecting the grid, facilitating the future

With the increasing adoption of electric vessels, and a growing need for shore power connections, how can ports and transport hubs safeguard the electric grids that serve them? Is there a need for a new wave of electrical infrastructure projects to modernize existing grids, or are there simpler, smarter solutions available?

Group press release

ABB to lead turnkey project for largest shore-to-ship solution in France

ABB leads consortium providing shore-to-ship power connection for ferries and cruise ships in Port of Toulon. ABB’s shore connection technology enables cutting emissions and noise during port stays. Future-proof onshore energy storage system allows managing fluctuations in energy demand of the local grid and drawing on emerging renewable energy sources.

Video story

How the port city of Marseille is cutting ships' emissions

Web story

ABB shore connection powers sustainable future for the cruise ship Artania

A prominent example of how technology enhances the sustainability of even the most well-travelled ship, when MS Artania will arrive in the port of Bergen, Norway in July 2022, she will be equipped with modern plug-in power capability in accordance to the international ISO/IEC/IEEC standards.

Press release

Making sea traffic more sustainable: ABB technology to power new hybrid-electric ferries

ABB will supply complete power, automation and propulsion solutions for three hybrid-electric passenger and car ferries to operate in the Baltic Sea.

Technology facts

Did you know this about ABB Shore Connection?

Did you know that ABB provides technical solutions for ships to cut CO2 emissions in port by as much as 35 percent? Learn more about the interesting facts on ABB Shore Connection here.

Press release

ABB to fit Tallink Megastar ferry with shore connection for emission-free port stays

ABB’s comprehensive shore connection solution will allow Tallink shuttle vessel Megastar to plug into the local grid for quiet and emission-free overnight layovers in the Port of Tallinn.

ABB delivers sustainable shore connection technology for Viking Line’s high-speed ferry

ABB enables emissions-free port stay in Marseille for Corsica Linea

Available technology for onshore and onboard

Shoreside installations

Shipside installations

Shore Connection, shoreside installations

With an important role to play in reducing the environmental impact of global shipping, shore connection has received backing from organisations such as the European Union. For example, EU Recommendation 2006/339/EU promotes the implementation of shoreside electrical facilities, while EU Recommendation 2003/96/EC proposes the subsidisation of shoreside power supply for ships through the cancellation of electricity taxes.

At the same time, discrepancies in frequency between ship and shore are driving demand for more intelligent landside solutions.

ABB’s onshore offering comprises transformers and frequency converters to synchronise shoreside power, voltage and frequency with those of the vessel’s onboard system. Also included are connecting cables and berth terminals with capacity for several ships. The solutions are suitable for container terminals and city harbours, with power ratings to suit even the largest ports.

They cover the entire chain from the substation receiving electricity from the local network to the power outlet at the dock. Furthermore, all major components can be accommodated within compact buildings or containers designed to blend into the surrounding environment.

ABB delivered the world’s first shore power supply system to the Swedish port of Gothenburg in 2000. Other ports to have implemented high voltage shore power supply systems include Karlskrona, Gothenburg and Ystad, Sweden; Antwerp and Zeebrugge, Belgium; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Lübeck, Germany; Oulu, Finland; Delimara, Malta; Duqm, Oman; Los Angeles and Seattle, United States; Vancouver, Canada; Jurong Singapore; and Dalian, China. It is currently engaged in projects to equip the ports of Incheon, South Korea and Tallinn, Estonia with shore power systems.

REFERENCE

South Korean port to slash passenger vessel emissions with ABB shore power

Shore Connection, shipside installations

ABB’s shore power supply solutions allow a vessel’s energy load to be transferred to the shoreside source in a secure, automated manner, without disruption to onboard services. This means that the ship’s auxiliary engines can be shut down for the duration of its harbor stay. Emissions into the local surroundings are thereby eliminated, enabling compliance with environmental regulations set by authorities such as the International Maritime Organization, California Air Resources Board, the EU and individual governments.

In addition, ABB shore connection solutions cover all necessary electrical and automation infrastructure on board and can be used for retrofits and newbuilds. They are delivered on a turnkey basis, with support in procurement, project management, system studies and calculations, engineering, installation, commissioning and testing.

Installation and connection in depth
Onboard shore connection is available in the power range 0–20 MVA. Smaller vessels such as ferries typically use low-voltage solutions, while larger vessels such as cruise and container ships require higher voltages.

ABB offers shore connection solutions in low voltage (less than one kilovolt in alternating current power and less than 1.5kV in direct current power) in accordance with IEC/IEEE 80005-3 LVSC general requirements – and high voltage (between 6.6 and 11kV) in accordance with IEC/IEEE 80005-1 HVSC general requirements. Sockets and plugs are standardized for roll-on/roll-off vessels and passenger ferries (11kV), container ships (6.6kV) and cruise ships (6.6kV, 11kV). Standardized cable management systems are available for these vessel types.

Installations vary depending on the kind of solution being deployed and on which type of vessel. For Azipod® electric propulsion systems on cruise ships, for example, cable sockets are mounted in the front part of the cabinet. A shaft line system on a container vessel involves an onboard cable drum lowering the cable down to the quay for onshore termination. Meanwhile, the shaft line system for ro-ro and ro-pax vessels entails an onboard transformer converting the power from high to low voltage.

In general, the sequence for connecting and disconnecting a vessel to shore power is as follows: the ship arrives in port, power and control cables are connected, and the last running engine is synchronized with the landside power grid. After the shore connection circuit breaker is closed, the generator is offloaded, and the engine is stopped. Before the vessel departs, the first engine is restarted and synchronized with the onshore power grid. Once the load has been transferred to the generator, the shore connection reopens, power and control cables are disconnected, and the vessel is ready for departure.

REFERENCE

ABB enables emissions-free port stay in Marseille for Corsica Linea ferries

REFERENCE

ABB plugs Holland America Line into low-emission shore power worldwide

How the port city of Marseille is cutting ships' emissions

With some 10,000 ships visiting Marseille every year, this is one of the busiest ports in the Mediterranean. And with all those ships needing power while in port, air and noise pollution has been a challenge for city authorities. But now a new technology from ABB is helping cut those port emissions…to nothing.

Learn more in this interview with representatives from the local port authorities, one ship operator and our local expertise in France regarding the shore connection in the port of Marseille.

Brochure

Shore connection solutions: shaping a sustainable world

More about Shore Connection

Pollution in cities surrounding busy harbors is largely due to vessels docking to ports. With the ability to connect to shore power the emissions could be cut significantly.

Passenger vessels with the need to keep the hotel load in use throughout the 'port call' are contributing on a high level to the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in cities around the world.

Find out more about shore connection solutions in this brochure.

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Shore connection enabling sustainable port calls

Highlights

Protecting the grid, facilitating the future

ABB to lead turnkey project for largest shore-to-ship solution in France

How the port city of Marseille is cutting ships' emissions

ABB shore connection powers sustainable future for the cruise ship Artania

Making sea traffic more sustainable: ABB technology to power new hybrid-electric ferries

Did you know this about ABB Shore Connection?

ABB to fit Tallink Megastar ferry with shore connection for emission-free port stays

ABB delivers sustainable shore connection technology for Viking Line’s high-speed ferry

ABB Shore Connection offers plug-in sustainability

Shore connection: improving ship efficiency and cutting harborside emissions

South Korean port to slash passenger vessel emissions with ABB shore power

ABB enables emissions-free port stay in Marseille for Corsica Linea