A milestone for sustainable shipping: for the first time in Europe a car carrier has been supplied with shore power during its layover at the overseas port of Bremerhaven. With the successful connection of the Wallenius Wilhelmsen vessel Lake Shirasagi, a pure car and truck carrier, the port of Bremerhaven is sending a strong signal for climate protection, innovation and sustainable port infrastructure.
The approximately 200-metre-long RoRo vessel loaded and unloaded around 2,000 vehicles in Bremerhaven. Parallel to the actual loading and unloading process, the Lake Shirasagi underwent extensive technical integration testing, which all ships that use shore power must pass once in advance. This test was started yesterday, Sunday, by the ship's crew and the bremenports shore power team – and it remained exciting until late this morning. As the test could not initially be completed without errors on board, the official opening date for the facility was ultimately cancelled. In the end, however, the error was found – and the way was clear for Europe's first shore power supply for a car carrier:
As of today, Monday, 1 p.m., the Lake Shirasagi is the first car carrier to be supplied with emission-free shore power in a European port.
The new onshore power supply system (OPS) at the car terminal supplies the ship with electricity from land during its layover. Previously, car carriers had to run their on-board diesel generators continuously – with corresponding CO₂, nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions. By switching to green shore power, these emissions are now avoided during port operations.
"From 2030, EU regulations stipulate that berth for container ships, ferries and cruise ships in major European ports must be equipped with shore power. This requirement does not yet apply to RoRo ships, which makes it all the more important for us to take the lead in this area today," explains Kristina Vogt, Senator for Economic Affairs, Ports and transformation.
In order to promote the use of shore power at an early stage, even before any obligations are imposed by the EU, agreements have already been concluded with several shipping companies: in addition to Höegh Autoliners, Wallenius Wilhelmsen, EUKOR and, in the container segment, MSC and NCL have already signed these agreements and declared their willingness to use shore power for their appropriately equipped ships when they call at Bremerhaven.
Positive signals from politics and business
Kristina Vogt, Senator for Economic Affairs, Ports and Transformation, emphasizes: "The fact that we were able to realise this Europe-wide premiere here in Bremerhaven is no coincidence, but the result of years of investment, close cooperation with industry and clear political objectives. With the first shore power supply for a car carrier in Europe, we are demonstrating in concrete terms how climate protection works in ports: less noise and exhaust fumes in port operations and noticeable relief for people and the environment. Bremerhaven is proving that modern port management and consistent transformation go hand in hand and that we are ready to set new standards for sustainable shipping in Europe."
Sebastian Leifermann, VP Customer Growth Germany at Wallenius Wilhelmsen “The first use of shore power by our car carrier Lake Shirasagi is an important step for us. Sustainable supply chains and resource conservation are the future of our industry, and we are proud to be at the forefront of this development within the RoRo segment”.
Matthias Magnor, CEO of BLG LOGISTICS GROUP, shares a similar view and sees the premiere as an extremely important step: "The successful shore power supply for a car carrier is a decisive step towards decarbonising maritime logistics. As the first RoRo terminal operator in Europe to offer this service, we are not only strengthening climate protection, but also the long-term competitiveness of Bremerhaven as a location."
Robert Howe, Managing Director of bremenports, concludes: "This is a really good day for the ports of Bremen: with the successful launch of shore power for car carriers, we are demonstrating how sustainable port development can be implemented in practice. This benefits the environment, our partners in the business community, local residents and port employees alike."
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The commissioning of the facility is part of the comprehensive shore power expansion programme in the ports of Bremerhaven. In the first phase of expansion, a total of five shore power facilities will be built: two mobile facilities and one permanently installed facility at the Stromkaje, one facility for cruise ships at the Columbuskaje and the facility now in operation for large RoRo vehicle carriers at the car terminal. Shore power will also be available at the container terminals for the first time in the near future: a permanently installed system at the MSC Gate is in the final stages of completion, supplemented by two mobile systems at the Eurogate and NTB terminals, which are expected to be operational in autumn 2026. Work on the new shore power system at the cruise terminal has also begun and will continue shortly with the laying of the cable duct at the Columbus Quay – this will also go into operation in the summer.
This first phase of expansion will have cost a total of around 50 million euros – a significant expense despite federal funding of around 22 million euros and additional funding obtained jointly with the ports of Aarhus, Gothenburg and Stockholm through the ‘Connecting Europe Facilities’ project, which amounted to 5.23 million euros for Bremerhaven.
