The Port of Amsterdam is working towards the energy transition by making sea cruises more sustainable. In 2025, sea cruises will be connected to ship-to-shore power at the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA).

This will reduce emissions from a cruise ship at the quay and improve the air quality in the surroundings. From 2030, it will be a legal requirement for sea cruises to use ship-to-shore power.

The Port of Amsterdam wants to be a leader in the energy transition. That is why it is speeding up the installation of green ship-to-shore power for both sea cruises and river cruises. Thanks to ship-to-shore power, the berths at the PTA will become greener. This will significantly reduce the CO2 emissions of sea cruise ships at the quay. It will improve air quality by reducing particulate matter, among other things. Since the ships will no longer need to use their generators, ship-to-shore power will also help reduce odour and noise.

The installation process

The Port of Amsterdam has started the design phase together with grid operator Liander. One of the components of this is the laying of a power cable, which needs to be ready by early 2025. At the same time, the design of the necessary installations at the PTA is being worked on. The port received a European subsidy for this phase. It is expected that the European tender process will start after the summer, so that both sea cruise and river cruise ships will be able to use the ship-to-shore power at the PTA from the start of the cruise season in 2025. In addition, the possibility of using the available power for other purposes, such as charging infrastructure, is being explored.

Clean Shipping Vision

The installation of ship-to-shore power at the PTA is part of the Clean Shipping Vision (click here for more info) in which the Port of Amsterdam maps out the pathway to make vessel traffic more sustainable. By 2050, vessel traffic in the Port of Amsterdam should be completely emission-free.

Dorine Bosman, Chief Investment Officer at the Port of Amsterdam: ‘With the installation of ship-to-shore power, we are working on improving the air quality in the area and making cruises more sustainable. We are also going to be more selective in which sea cruises we allow. From 2024 onwards, older ships (with older engines) will no longer be allowed to dock at the PTA. Ships that can connect to ship-to-shore power as from 2025 will be given priority to dock at the PTA. We are investing in a clean port, clean vessel traffic and a clean city’.

Reference: Port Of Amsterdam