Port of Antwerp-Bruges is to receive a European grant of 3.2 million euros for a shore power installation for cruise ships in Zeebrugge. From 2026, cruise ships will be able to purchase green electricity when docked. It will be four years before this becomes mandatory across Europe, according to the company’s release, reports Port News.
EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility
The plans to build a shore power facility here fit within the project call from the EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) programme as part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). The Port Authority submitted the project and, today, the EU announced 3.2 million euros in subsidies for the shore power installation.
Cruise ships consume a lot of energy while at the dock. Thanks to the shore power installation, cruise ships docking in Zeebrugge will be able to switch to green electricity from the high-voltage grid. This eliminates the need for them to generate their own electricity with diesel generators. That means no more emissions and also eliminates the noise from the running generators. In this way the impact on the environment, climate and surroundings reduces substantially.
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Source: Port News
