6 minute read
Cruise
SHORE POWER AND MORE FOR KIEL
Michele Witthaus talks to Port of Kiel managing director, Dr Dirk Claus, about the measures it is taking to ensure a sustainable future for cruise
As cruise traffi c resumes following the interruptions caused by Covid-19, the Port of Kiel expects sea tourism in Northern Europe to go back to normal in the near future. For the port, this means a return to the buoyant call fi gures and growth rates of pre-pandemic times, with more than 200 cruise calls planned for next year.
“When the current passenger capacity limits are lifted, more than 1 million cruise shipping passengers will board and debark cruise ships in Kiel,” says Dr Claus.
Returning to normal cruise activity does not mean ‘business as usual’, however.
The port is on a trajectory of significant investment to ensure that its longstanding commitment to sustainability forms a key part of the recovery.
“The protection of our climate is a challenge of our time and the Port of Kiel is one of the most environment-friendly ports in Europe,” says Dr Claus. “As per our three-step-plan we will supply 60% of all our ferry and cruise ship calls with green shore power during their berthing times, thus reducing their emissions to zero. The second step will be that as of 2025 we will supply green shore power to 80 or 90% [of vessels]. The third step will then be that the Port of Kiel will become totally climate neutral by 2030.”
This ambitious plan is backed up by actions on many other fronts, he says.
“To reduce the emissions of CO2, we have been only consuming green power that stems from regenerative sources for the operation of all our terminal facilities for some
Photo: Port of Kiel
time. We put great emphasis on electric mobility and are renewing our vehicle fleet in that sense successively. This applies to both cars and forklift trucks as well as tugmasters in future.”
“In addition, we are also reducing our energy consumption of our port facilities and have equipped roofs of our warehouses as well as terminal gangways with photovoltaics where possible. This allows us to cover part of our power consumption by ourselves.”
Greener power
Additional components of the port’s measures for climate protection include the shifting of incoming and outgoing freight traffic from road to rail, as well as offering shore power to ferry and cruise ships. The latter activity is helping the port to take a leading role in implementing this technology.
Its new shore power solution, ShoreCONNECT, is already actively improving the environment and bringing significant changes to the way cruise operators can use the port. “The
8 The port is
on a trajectory of signifi cant investment to ensure that its longstanding commitment to sustainability forms a key part of the recovery
new shore power facility at the cruise terminal Ostseekai is one of the most powerful shore power facilities in Europe and it is able to supply one ferry at the nearby ferry terminal Schwedenkai at the same time as one cruise ship at Ostseekai with shore power produced in a climate-neutral way,” explains Dr Claus.
“Since the beginning of this year, the ferries of Stena Line, the Stena Germanica and the Stena Scandinavica, that oscillate between Kiel and Gothenburg on a daily basis, are using green shore power every day. The first cruise ship that was connected to shore power was the AIDAsol of AIDA Cruises in mid-June. Since then, the Port of Kiel is also supplying other AIDA vessels with green shore power on a regular basis. Additional cruise shipping companies will follow suit next year.”
The goal is to supply 60 to 80 cruise ship calls with green shore power in the first full year of operation, thus saving 45 tonnes of CO2 emissions per call. It is a ‘win-win’ situation for the port and the operators that use its facilities.
“Alongside the benefits of using green shore power for the environment, the shipping companies have also got the advantage that they are no longer required to use expensive diesel fuel during berthing times,” says Dr Claus.
“Ships that use green shore power are offered an environment rebate on the port dues as per the standard tariff, meaning that part of the costs for using shore power is compensated by this rebate. The use of shore power at the Port of Kiel thus is not only environmentally friendly but can also be economically beneficial as the pertinent EEG-levy has been reduced for shore power customers by 80%.”
“The port reception facility set an example for other similar facilities and increases the reception capacity at these berths by tenfold, namely 300 m³ per hour. With the extension of the sewage reception capacity, the Port of Kiel contributes to the protection of the ocean and already fulfilled the regulatory legislation in that area for years even though the legislation has only come into binding effect this year.”
In 2020, the construction of a new terminal building was completed and the terminal was taken into operation. “This meant that the passenger handling quality - not least under the Covid conditions - has again been drastically improved, mainly due to the fact that additional space for passenger handling was created,” says Dr Claus.
Facilities to support the growing number of ships that use LNG are also being built.
“To be able to accept LNG-powered ships as of next year, the Port of Kiel is currently cooperating with its partners and the local authorities to perform the required risk analyses. This enables us to perform the LNG-bunkering operations for cruise ships either landside via truck or seaside via bunker barge at Ostseekai.”
The port is also undertaking longterm investment in sustainable transport facilities to and from the port, backed up by convenient accommodation.
“As an important port of departure and destination for cruise ships, we aim to increase the percentage of passengers arriving or departing via rail to start or end their cruise under the frame of sustainability,” says Dr Claus.
“Simultaneously, we will also extend the comfortable parking options for those guests arriving in Kiel with their own - potentially already electric - car. Recently, hotel capacities of the city of Kiel were doubled to offer more passengers a greater and additional choice for a convenient stay in Kiel pre- or post-cruise.” 8 m www.portofkiel.com
He also points out that, as a port that consciously commits itself to protecting the environment, Kiel is receiving increasing attention and approval from travellers. Planning for another shore power facility, this time for the ferry and cruise shipping terminal at Ostuferhafen, has already started .
Investing in tech
In addition to its investment in shore power facilities, the Port of Kiel also continuously invests in the expansion of its cruise shipping terminals.
“Four years ago, we started the operation of one of the most modern wastewater reception facilities for ship wastewater at Ostseekai,” says Dr Claus.
8 Terminal Ostseekai in Kiel
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shore power to ferry and cruise ships
8 Dirk Claus, MD,
