Estonian shipping company Tallink Grupp has started using shore power to provide electricity for two of its vessels while they are berthed at the Port of Stockholm in Sweden.
As explained, the move comes in an effort “to reduce the environmental impact of the vessels and to minimise air pollution in the Nordic capital cities the company’s vessels visit.”
Silja Symphony and Silja Serenade, sister ships operating on the Helsinki-Stockholm route, have been piloting the use of the shore power connection facility since February this year and are the two first vessels to be connected to the new facility aiming to minimize the environmental impact from ships within the Baltic Sea region.
The group’s Tallinn-Stockholm route vessels Baltic Queen and Victoria I have already also been fitted with the shore power connection equipment and will start testing the equipment soon and the use of the shore power will thereafter be gradually rolled out as soon as coming available.
The company’s other vessels visiting the Port of Stockholm will follow suit in 2020 and 2021.
The Port of Stockholm is currently one of the few ports in the Baltic Sea region to have shore power connection availability for the vessels visiting the port. The facility enables ships to use onshore electricity via power cables when alongside in port. The use of shore power enables the vessels to significantly reduce the use of the ship’s power generators, thus significantly reducing the vessels’ emissions whilst in port.
Commenting on the launch of the ships shore power connection, Paavo Nõgene, CEO of Tallink Grupp, said:
„We are very pleased that an extensive amount of work in close partnership with the Port of Stockholm and the City of Stockholm has resulted in this significant step forward in our effort to reduce the environmental impact of shipping. Such projects are not implemented over night and take great investment and personal effort… Today we are already also working closely with the ports of Helsinki and Tallinn to implement such systems in these ports in the future as well.“
“Sustainability issues are crucial for the future of shipping, not least in the heart of Stockholm. We are therefore particularly pleased when Tallink Silja chose to make use of the newly built on shore power supply facility in the new Värtapier and are able to make use of our environmental incentives. These are big and difficult issues that no party handles alone, the only way forward is in cooperation towards mutual goals,” Thomas Andersson, CEO Port of Stockholm, added.
Tallink Grupp provides passenger transport and cargo services in the northernmost area of the Baltic Sea region. The group has a fleet of 14 vessels and provides its services under the brand names of Tallink and Silja Line on seven different routes.