Port of Helsingborg to launch 'first ever' onshore power supply for boxships

Sweden’s Port of Helsingborg is planning to build and inaugurate its first onshore power supply (OPS) facility for container vessels, in line with the long-term strategy of shutting the door to fossil-based operations.

According to the port’s officials, commissioning is envisioned for the fall of 2026, following which boxships will have the possibility to plug into electric power at berth at the container terminal.

The development comes after a 2019 ruling of the Environmental Permit Authority, which mandated that the Port of Helsingborg needed to have shore power available for container vessels within “the next seven years.”

With the OPS site, developed together with Actemium, the port—which already has a shore power connection available for ferries—hopes to meet both the ruling’s requirement and future technical demands.

As disclosed, the planned facility is going to boast a capacity of up to 3.5 megawatts, said to equal the energy needs of a typical feeder boxship and be compliant with international standards.

Bart Steijaert, CEO of Port of Helsingborg, shared that this new development was a “major milestone” in the port’s climate transition, given