TALLINK-SILJA LINE's Victoria I cruiseferry was connected to the electricity grid in Tallinn Old City Harbour for Estonia’s first shore power charging on September 11, 2020.
5 piers in Tallinn Old City Harbour are currently equipped with shoreside power capacity. The total investment is EUR 3,5 million (~USD 4,1 M). Shoreside power can be used by all passenger ships operating the Baltic Sea routes Estonia-Sweden and Estonia-Finland.
Port Tallinn has installed the latest ABB shore power systems on 5 of its piers (docks) in Old City Harbour which results in reducing noise pollution and emissions as well as fuel savings by using city grid electricity during port stays.
To date, Tallink Group has invested EUR 3 million in shoreside power systems for 5 cruise ships. In the coming years, the company plans to equip 12 cruiseferries with shore power capabilities, amounting to EUR 6 million (~USD 7 M) in total.
After mooring, the ship's diesel engines are switched off and it is connected to the city's power supply network. The energy load is transferred to the shoreside power supply system without interfering with the shipboard services.
The shore power solution is also an important step to more sustainable operations for shipping companies. The technical solution of shore power enables connecting the ship to the terrestrial network at an 11 kilovolts voltage. Duplicate control mechanisms ensure that the high voltage is switched off in emergency situations. The connection of the ship to the shore network is controlled by the ship’s crew via remote control. The power system of the vessel operates without interruption in the transition to shore power and when switching over to generator power.
The shore power solution has been built by AS Elero. Scaleup (Shore-Link) engineers, who developed solutions for shore-based systems, took part in creating an integral solution. The automation and equipment of the substation were ensured by the ABB AS power network unit, i.e. today the independent company ABB Power Grids Estonia AS. ABB also helped to develop the navigation system to make Tallink’s vessels shore power capable.
Tallinn port's shore power project was co-financed by the EU (European Union) via TWIN-PORT III measure.