Stena Line to get onshore power supply for its vessels

This was announced by Pym de Lange, CEO of Stena Line during the christening of the Stena Hollandaise, one of the two super-ferries that will be taken into use by Stena Line this year. The two ferries are the biggest ro-pax (cargo and passenger) vessels in the world, with a length of 240 m and capacity for 230 cars, 300 Lorries and 1,200 passengers. Besides these two vessels, Stena Line will also receive delivery of another two cargo vessels in 2011. These four new vessels will all make use of onshore -based power.

The installation of onshore power supply is costing several million Euros., and the installation of infrastructure on the shore is being made possible thanks to a contribution from the Port of Rotterdam Authority and co-financing from the Ministry of Traffic, Public Works and Water Management and the Regional Action Programme for Air Quality in the Rincon Region and the Rotterdam Approach to Air Quality.

The European Commission and the government of the Netherlands have already pressed for the use of onshore power supply in order to reduce emissions by shipping. For inland shipping, the Port of Rotterdam Authority has already started with the installation of onshore power supply throughout the port area. Over the past few years, the port authority has conducted a number of studies in order to assess the feasibility of introducing onshore power supply at container, cruise and to-do terminals. Eventually, it became clear that it was only really of interest in harbours always frequented by the same ships, and this is particularly the case with Stena Line.