Work has officially got under way to construct a shore power installation at the cruise terminal at the Zweedse Kaai in Zeebrugge.
From early 2027 onwards, cruise ships docking there will be able to switch to green electricity from the shore. Not only will this reduce quayside emissions to zero, but the odour nuisance and visual disturbance caused to local residents, passengers, and crew will be significantly less.
The shore power installation will convert electricity from the grid to the right voltage for ships. Cruise ships are plugged in via a movable loading arm. After that, they can turn off engines and use power from the shore. To make that a reality, Port of Antwerp-Bruges is building an Onshore Power Supply (OPS) and a new high-voltage substation at the cruise terminal at the Zweedse Kaai in Zeebrugge. This means that the port will be ready to provide shore power to two cruise ships simultaneously by 2027 – three years before shore power becomes compulsory in 2030. The works to construct the facility have now started, so the first ships will be able to connect during the first half of 2027. Meanwhile, plans are already on the table for a second installation.
The shore power installation forms part of a broader renovation of the Zweedse Kaai that includes a new terminal building with boarding bridges, a battery system and the redevelopment of part of the quay into green space. At the moment, the Zweedse Kaai accounts for about 5% of the CO₂ emissions from all ships at the quays in Antwerp and Zeebrugge because the cruise ships at the quay generate electricity using diesel generators.
In line with the Green Deal, the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy and the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), the European Commission is prioritising shore power projects within the project call that forms part of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) programme of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). To finance the shore power installation, it provided €3.1m of funding, in order to cover the higher-than-estimated cost and to ensure a payback period of around 20 years. In addition, the Flemish government awarded €830,000 in strategic ecology support.
The shore power project forms part of Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ ambition to be climate neutral by 2050. In parallel to that scheme, investments are being made in alternative fuels for tugs, additional electrification, energy-efficient buildings and circular economy projects. Shore power will help shipping companies fulfil the IMO and EU climate commitments in a cost-effective way.
Rob Smeets, COO Port of Antwerp-Bruges, said: “Shore power will enable us to reduce emissions at the cruise terminal to zero while providing more comfortable conditions for passengers, crews and local residents. From 2027, ‘plug-in on arrival’ will become a reality in Zeebrugge, even before it becomes compulsory in Europe in 2030.”
Image: Work begins on Zeebrugge cruise terminal shore power installation (source: Port of Antwerp-Bruges)
