Swedish port completes shore-power operation for tanker

The shore power connection was provided by Cavotec, based on new standards drawn up in co-operation with other ports and operators. The company says it is set to pave the way for tanker berth operators to reduce emissions and help decarbonise maritime and energy supply chains.

The test sequence, during which no electrical current was supplied to the vessel, was conducted earlier this year with the Tern Fors, a 15,000dwt oil and chemical tanker with a capacity of 16,500 cubic metres.

“We connected and checked that the cable fits and carried out all the necessary safety checks,” said Claes Möller, chief executive of Tärntank Ship Management.

“The only thing we didn’t do was switch on the power,” he added.

Following the successful trial, Tärntank and the Port of Gävle now plan to use the system to connect the Tern Fors to electrical current.

Shore power was first introduced in Sweden at a passenger ferry berth at the Port of Gothenburg in the 1980s. In April, Ports of Stockholm announced the successful installation of a next-generation shore power connection system at a ferry berth at Kapellskär.