Well-connected
The “MSC Mette” recently became the first ship to shut off all engines whilst it was moored in the port of Barcelona. This was made possible by the onshore power supply system at Hutchison Ports’ Best container terminal.
At the beginning of October, Barcelona became the first zero-emissions port of call for a containership. The fact that a vessel could switch off all its engines for the first time during the three days it moored in the port is a milestone in the decarbonisation process of port activities.
This was achieved thanks to a new onshore power-supply system (OPS) installed at the gateway’s Best container terminal, which was completed two months ago, with a special cable management system in place. It provides the connection to the place where a ship is moored at the quay.
System avoids interfering with loading
The cable management system was specially designed to avoid interfering with the normal loading and unloading of containers and is a key element in adapting the power supply to the specific needs of each vessel and terminal.
The electricity requirements of each vessel may vary according to the size, or the number of refrigerated containers transported. One of the key functions of the OPS is to adapt the energy it receives from the medium-voltage grid to this demand. In this particular case, the OPS supplied more than 103,000 kWh to the “MSC Mette”, a containership with a capacity to carry 24,000 teu.
The first two years of operations of the OPS, which is part-financed by the EU, constitute a pilot project that will provide real-time data and experience on the operation of the system and the best way to integrate power supplies for ships into port operations.
Pan-port implementation
With this knowledge now under its belt, the port will continue to develop OPS as efficiently as possible as part of its EUR 200 million ‘Nexigen’ plan. It aims to electrify its main quays over the next five years. In winter, the first OPS in a ferry terminal is scheduled to come into operation.
Lluís Salvadó, the president of the port of Barcelona, described the first connection of a containership to the electricity grid as an important step forward in the implementation of the ‘Nexigen’ plan.
Salvadó underlined the fact that “we already effectively eliminate emissions generated by marine engines – a process that, thanks to the experience gained from this pilot project, will be significantly accelerated further once we introduce the rest of the OPS.”