Shore Power for Cruise Ships

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Shore Power for Cruise Ships

Shore power, also known as Onshore Power Supply (OPS), supplies a ship at berth with electricity through a connection to the port’s power grid. The IMO guidelines define the system as a combination of shore-side and onboard installations. On the ship, these include, for example, connection sockets, switching and protection equipment, and cables; on the port side, they include connections, switching equipment, and cable management. Understanding shore-side supply also involves onboard energy and its generation on board.

Shore-side and onboard equipment

Depending on the power grid and the ship, transformers or frequency converters may be required. The key is to ensure that both sides are technically compatible. The 2023 IMO guidelines call for a compatibility assessment for high-voltage OPS and a technical analysis for low-voltage OPS to determine whether the ship and port installations can be connected. A shore connection alone therefore does not establish that a particular ship can connect. The effects of ship exhaust and port noise also depend on the energy supply used during the ship’s stay.

What shore power replaces

Once the ship is connected, the external power supply takes over part of its energy supply during its stay in port. The load-transfer procedures provide for the generator load to be shifted gradually to the shore connection; the ship’s generators can then be switched off. Which onboard consumers are supplied depends on the installation in question.

Use and impact

Use depends on whether the ship and port are technically compatible and whether the connection is used during that particular stay. According to the International Association of Ports and Harbors, OPS replaces electricity from a ship’s own diesel auxiliary engines and can thereby reduce local air pollutants and noise in port; its impact on carbon dioxide is smaller and also depends on shore-side electricity generation. The fuels and emissions of cruise ships concern other aspects of energy supply. The IMO guidelines for safe OPS operations describe the coordination required before connection.