Rotterdam Shortsea Terminals (RST) and shipping company Samskip, in partnership with the Port of Rotterdam Authority, have put into service a shore-based power installation.
European laws will require cargo ships greater than 5000 gross tonnages (GT) to use shore-based power beginning in 2030.
Unlike the existing standard for receiving shore power with a high-voltage installation, there is currently no recognised standard for receiving shore power with a low-voltage installation.
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This RST experiment will investigate if running a low-voltage infrastructure at 50 hertz (Hz) instead of 60Hz is sufficient for short-sea vessels.
Using a lower frequency for shore-based power installation results in significant cost reductions.
READ: Port of Rotterdam witnesses decline in container throughput
The terminal oversees constructing the installation, and the Samskip Innovator vessel has been modified to use this new power source.
The Port Authority of Rotterdam is directly involved in the pilot and eagerly awaits the findings.
This is the first-time shore-based electricity has been installed at a container terminal in the Netherlands.
