Denmark’s First Shore Power for Container Ships Successfully Tested
The Port of Aarhus, on the east coast of Denmark’s Jutland peninsula, has completed a trial of the country’s first shore power system for container ships. Icelandic operator Eimskip’s 2,150 TEU container ship Dettifoss stayed connected for nearly 10 hours and took about 6.5 MWh of electricity from the shore.
Port officials expect the system to be ready for daily use in January 2027, and ships will be free to choose whether to connect. When fully built, up to four container ships will be able to plug in at the same time. The project is funded by the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility. Aarhus already opened Denmark’s first shore power facility for cruise ships in 2023.
Container terminals are harder to equip than cruise or ferry berths. More ships arrive, often several at once, and they vary widely in size and berth position. Container ships also need a lot of power alongside to run onboard systems and refrigerated containers, which puts a heavy load on the local grid.
The port says shore power will reduce noise and particle pollution at berth. Under the EU’s FuelEU Maritime Regulation, container and passenger ships over 5,000 gross tonnes must connect to shore power at berth in major EU ports from 1 January 2030.
For crews, shore power means quieter ships and cleaner air in port, with generators shut down alongside. Engineers and electro-technical officers will need to know high-voltage connection and safety procedures well as more ports adopt the system.
