Heerema has announced the shorepower solution for its crane vessels Sleipnir and Thialf is moving forward. Energy supplier Eneco and the Port of Rotterdam Authority have jointly established Rotterdam Shore Power (80/20), which will develop an “e-house” with a capacity of twenty megawatts.

The e-house will be located on the “Landtong” in Rozenburg and will power the vessels when they are moored at their regular berths on the Caland Canal. The twenty-megawatt e-house supplies enough electricity to power both lifting giants at the same time. It is said it will be the largest shorepower solution in the world to date.

The shorepower solution is one of the nominees for this year’s KVNR Shipping Award along with the Dutch political parties CDA and VVD responsible for the Merchant Shipping Act. When nominated, the consortium consisting of Heerema, Eneco and the Port of Rotterdam Authority stated it was working towards the conclusion of a final investment decision and the signing of a joint contract. With Rotterdam Shore Power, the project is now taking shape.

Two Million Euros

According to the initiators, if the crane ships were to use shore-side electricity instead of diesel generators at their permanent berths, an annual CO2 emission equivalent to that of approximately 5000 diesel cars would be saved.

That is why the Municipality of Rotterdam has made two million euros available from next year’s budget under the condition that the e-house on the Landtong is properly fitted in, in consultation with the residents of Rozenburg.

Caland Canal

The two ships have had fixed berths on the Caland Canal for decades now. The location serves as a base for jobs carried out in the North Sea. They are estimated to be there between ten and twenty per cent of the time, usually preparing for their next project. Rotterdam Shore Power is already discussing the supply of shorepower with other interested parties.

The permits for the project will be applied for before the end of the year. The e-house (sixteen metres long, nine metres wide and 5.5 metres high) should be ready in about a year, so that the Sleipnir and the Thialf can then be plugged in.

This article is partly based on an article published by Nieuwsblad Transport, a sister publication of SWZ|Maritime.

Picture supplied by Heerema Marine Contractor’s for SWZ|Maritime’s article “Sleipnir’s Long and Strong Pair of Arms” published in December 2018.