EMEA News
Klaipėda to Get Shore Power Connectivity for Ferries Next Year
Lithuania’s Port of Klaipėda is moving closer to allowing ferries to draw electricity from shore power systems at terminals next year.
The port’s terminals have received onshore power systems with installation underway, Klaipėda State Seaport Authority said in an emailed statement on Monday.
Testing of these systems is planned later this year and by next year to become operational for ferries to connect at designated Ro-Ro terminals.
Four shore-power connection points will be set up for ferries to connect.
The move is part of Klaipėda’s wider electrification drive, following the port’s first shore power system installed earlier this autumn to support a new hydrogen- and electric-powered waste-collection vessel.
Shore power, or cold ironing, is being adopted at more ports worldwide, cutting emissions by allowing vessels to switch off their diesel generators while alongside.
But while it helps reduce pollution in port areas, it is not sufficient to tackle global shipping emissions. Substantial investment in low- and zero-carbon marine fuels will still be needed to achieve wider decarbonisation across the sector.
Shore power’s credentials also depend on the availability of renewable electricity in the local grid, limiting its green impact in regions still reliant on fossil-fuel power generation.
