Port of Rotterdam container terminals to electrify shipping

The Hutchison Ports ECT Rotterdam container terminals in the port of Rotterdam are to be equipped with shore power facilities for shipping in the years ahead.

The delivery of the ‘shore power as a service’ will be from Rotterdam Shore Power, a joint venture between Dutch energy company Eneco and the Port of Rotterdam Authority, with the switch away from shipboard power expected to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 35,000t per year.

The first vessels are expected to be connected to the shore power facilities by 2028.

Once the facilities are fully operational at ECT’s two terminals in 2030, around 5,000 sea-going vessels should be connected to the shore power annually.

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“The projects are in line with our goal of being emission free by 2035,” says Leo Ruijs, CEO of terminal operator ECT.

“When calling at our terminals, our clients can use shore power facilities, which fit well within the philosophy of our logistics concept.’

Rotterdam Shore Power will construct and operate the shore power facilities, while ECT and Port of Rotterdam Authority will be responsible for the civil integration of the facilities at the quay and terminal site.

With ECT’s terminals comprising around 5km of quay, the project is considered one of the largest shore power projects in Europe.

“We are hereby removing the investment thresholds and taking the burden off our clients and partners, while accelerating the greening of the port and maritime sector at the same time,” say Tiemo Arkesteijn and Ina Barge, joint directors of Rotterdam Shore Power.

Since its formation in 2019 Rotterdam Shore Power has completed several maritime shore power projects, including the Rozenburg berth of Heerema Marine Contractors’ crane vessels, where supply is from nearby wind turbines, and earlier in 2024 the Vlaardingen berth of short-haul shipping company DFDS.

As an approach for decarbonising shipping, as an alternative to diesel powered ships’ engines or generators, the company’s ambition is for its solution to be rolled out at other deep-sea container terminals in for example the UK, Belgium or Germany by 2028 and even outside Europe.

Under European regulation, all container, passenger and cruise ships larger than 5,000t gross in European ports must use shore-based power by 2030.