Schneider Electric is acting as a technical partner in an eight-month consultancy project to develop the UK’s first green shipping corridor between the ports of Dover, Calais and Dunkirk as part of the UK’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, reports Ship Technology.
Green energy pathway options
Schneider Electric will assess green energy pathway options for marine and land vessels and vehicles to facilitate the zero-emission movement of goods and people between the ports. The company will also undertake a land side port and fuel analysis and an assessment of ‘cold ironing’ capabilities to provide electrical power to berthed vessels.
The firm will build a ‘digital twin’ of the Port of Dover’s electrical infrastructure that will enable the port’s new shore power systems to be designed and tested virtually before being built and integrated into the port’s existing facilities, ensuring minimal service disruption.
Peter Selway, Segment Marketing Manager at Schneider Electric, commented: ‘Port operators are facing pressure to transition to more sustainable business models that meet with the net-zero ambitions of the Clean Maritime Plan. UK ports are also becoming energy producers, providing the shore power needed to charge electric and hybrid vessels.‘
‘By partnering in this consultancy project, we’re able to advise the Port of Dover on how to strategically invest in the shore power capabilities and infrastructure needed to support a green shipping corridor.’
World’s first high-volume green shipping corridor
Megan Turner, Environment and Sustainability Manager at the Port of Dover, said: ‘The Port of Dover is the UK’s busiest international ferry port and a vital gateway for the movement of people and trade, processing tens of thousands of passengers, cars, lorries and other vehicles every day.‘
‘Some ferries operating from the port are being upgraded to run on electric batteries and other forms of renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions. This is a key part of our work to place Dover at the vanguard of decarbonisation within the UK port industry, with the ambition to become the world’s first high-volume green shipping corridor.‘
Schneider Electric has already assisted the Port of Dover with the first phase of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition to support the technological development necessary to reduce carbon emissions as part of the Port of Dover Air Quality Action Plan.
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Source: Ship Technology
