Rotterdam Shortsea Terminals (RST) and Samskip launch Shore power green initiative
31st July 2023
RST and Samskip announced on 24 July 2023 the successful launch of their Green Shore Power initiative, which aims to greatly reduce CO2 emissions produced by vessels docked by providing new clean shore powered energy solutions.
The joint initiative is an example of what companies can do if they have a common goal and join forces in the energy transition towards CO2 neutrality. The shore power solution is the first of its kind for a container terminal in the Netherlands ports.
The celebration of this milestone event was on Friday 21 July, when delegations from Samskip, RST, Port of Rotterdam (HBR), Municipality of Rotterdam and HES gathered. During the celebration, Samskip Innovator provided an onsite demonstration of the smooth transition between ship power and the new shore power.
The new shore power working was largely possible through the expertise of Harbour Electronical Services (HES) which both prepared and outfitted Samskip’s shortsea vessel Innovator to receive shore power. The power supply unit at the quay of RST has been installed by Jolectra.
Onshore power supply systems are a critical step towards the decarbonization of the shipping sector. Given that docked vessels currently leave their engines running to generate onboard electricity while burning gasoil constantly, the impact of green onshore power becomes clear. For the entire shipping sector, shoreside electricity is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by five megatons of CO2 per year (3.7% of global shipping emissions).
