Integration - Cruise ships in Stockholm will soon connect to onshore power

Ports of Stockholm has been awarded funding from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the EU for investing in onshore power supply. This is an environmental initiative that will significantly reduce carbon dioxide and air pollutant emissions from cruise ships in Stockholm and throughout the Baltic Sea.

Ports of Stockholm, together with the Baltic Sea ports of Copenhagen/Malmö, Aarhus and Helsinki, will invest in providing onshore power to cruise ships. This is a joint initiative to reduce emissions of shipping air pollutants within port areas. The environmental investment in providing onshore power according to a common international standard at these ports will also enable cruise ships and shipping companies to invest in and connect to onshore power according to the same standard.

“The cruise passengers are very important to Stockholm financially and generate more than 1000 jobs in the region. Now we are taking the next step in being an international-quality sustainable cruise destination. Onshore power connection at the central Stockholm quays is part of an important joint environmental initiative with other Baltic Sea ports. Following in the wake of this tough pandemic year, this is really something to celebrate,” says Mayor of Stockholm Anna König Jerlmyr.

For Ports of Stockholm the investment means equipping two central quays in Stockholm with high voltage onshore power connections that will significantly reduce the environmental impact of cruise ships, as these can shut down their engines and instead use power supplied from the local electricity grid. The project will start in December 2020 and is funded partly by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency local investments Climate Leap Program and also by EU grant funding.

“It is very pleasing and so right that this environmental investment for cruise ships in Stockholm has been prioritised and awarded grant funding from both the EU and the Swedish Climate Leap Program,” explains Thomas Andersson, CEO at Ports of Stockholm.

The work to equip the two central quays with onshore power connections will be completed, respectively, in 2023 and 2024.

In 2019 just over 656,000 cruise passengers and an additional 240,000 crew members visited Stockholm. Collectively they spent more than EUR 57 million on hotel rooms, food, sightseeing excursions, shopping etc. In addition, the cruise shipping companies spent a total of EUR 25 million on harbour dues, pilotage dues and fairway dues in Stockholm. The cruise industry therefore contributes hugely to the Stockholm region, generating a total economic effect of almost EUR 176 million and creating around 1,100 jobs. Stockholm is a popular cruise destination and the majority of cruise passengers state that they are very satisfied with their visit.

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