Mobile and sustainable shore power connection at the cruise ship terminal in the port of Rotterdam

What was needed: An environmentally friendly, noise-reducing, fast and efficient power supply for the cruise ships at the port of Rotterdam, regardless of the berth

Requirements: Mobile shore power connection on the quay, compact movement of the heavy cable over a length of 230 metres

Industry: Shore power supply

Success for the customer: The mobile shore power connection "iMSPO Cruise" moves the cable quickly to any cruise ship berth. Only two people are needed on shore and the connection takes less than 15 minutes. The compact design under the quay avoids cables and other equipment lying around in the working area of the terminal.

The city of Rotterdam is investing heavily in making the city and port area more sustainable. The modernisation of the cruise terminal was an important element along the way.

The problem: Diesel engines often continue to run so that ships docked in the harbour can continue to be supplied with electricity on board. CO₂, nitrogen and particulate matter emissions are blown into the air, and the engines also cause high noise emissions. The location of the cruise terminal close to Rotterdam city centre further exacerbates this problem.

For this reason, ships are increasingly being equipped with the necessary connections and technology to be powered via a shore power connection at the harbour. It is not only the ship that needs to be equipped for this. The harbours themselves must also be equipped with the right infrastructure and technology to supply ships not only reliably, but also quickly and flexibly with shore power.

This is because the berthing position of the ships at the quay is changing: the cruise terminal at the port of Rotterdam is highly frequented, with the berthing of many ships of different sizes. In addition, the charging hatch for the shore power supply can be located on the port or starboard side. The shore power solution must therefore be flexibly movable and as quick and easy to operate as possible. As people are on the quay around the clock, a technical solution should also be found that is space-saving and avoids cables lying around on the quay as much as possible.

To ensure a flexible shore power supply for cruise ships at the terminal, the port of Rotterdam relies on the iMSPO Cruise.

The "movable socket" enables the rapid availability of a shore power connection for ships along the entire 230 metre length of the terminal. The construction includes a 230 metre long steel trough, which was placed in a one metre deep trench under the quay. In the trough, all cables for supplying power to the cruise ships run protected in energy chains of type 5050RHD. The rol e-chain moves the 12 CF-CRANE motor cables and various fibre optic and supply cables quickly to the docked ship. Thanks to the tight bend radius of the cables, space is saved under the quay. They supply the ships with a power output of up to 16MW at 11kV, enough to supply a small town with 15,000 to 20,000 inhabitants.

The iMSPO Cruise is moved by remote control in the fully covered trough with the sockets folded in. Once the connection position has been reached, the cover over the iMSPO is removed and the sockets are raised. The transfer vehicle can now be connected at this point and the ship supplied with power. The entire process can be completed by two people in less than 15 minutes. The iMSPO complies with the standards and machine guidelines of IEC 80005-1. In addition, the positioning of the system underground also increases safety in the harbour, as there are no cables or other equipment in the way on the quay.

Like the cruise terminal, the shore power system is cooled using water from the Meuse. A separate grid connection with renewable electricity was laid for the system over a length of 1.5 kilometres from the Maashaven to the Wilhelminakade. As the cruise ships' generators at the port of Rotterdam will be switched off in future, CO₂, nitrogen and particulate matter emissions in the port and city area will also be reduced, air quality will improve and ship noise will be a thing of the past.