Ports of Stockholm will build Sweden’s first cruise ship on land
Ports of Stockholm invests in the environment by building shore power connection facilities for cruise ships at two city center quays. This environmental initiative will result in significantly lower air pollution emissions in Stockholm and the Baltic Sea, according to the company’s press release.
The groundbreaking ceremony to start building shore power connections for cruise ships took place during World Water Week 2022. The construction of the facilities at Stadsgården berths 167 and 160 makes Stockholm Ports the first port in Sweden to offer cruise ship shore power connections.
The environmental initiative is a collaboration with other Baltic ports. It will result in significantly lower emissions of carbon dioxide and air polluting particles from the cruise ships in Stockholm and the Baltic Sea area. Ports of Stockholm cooperates with the ports of Copenhagen, Aarhus and Helsinki to enable cruise ships and shipping lines to connect to shore power of a common international standard in all the different ports. It will encourage more shipping companies to make the large investments in equipment that ships need to connect to shore power.
The work to equip the two center quays with shore power connections will be completed in 2023 and 2024 respectively. These cruise quays are two of the most visited in the Port of Stockholm. It is estimated that at least 45 percent of cruise ship calls will be able to be connected to shore power when the facilities are in place.
The total reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will be at least 6,000 tons per year as a result of connection to shore power. This environmental investment for cruise ships in Stockholm has the highest priority and has been awarded grants from both the EU and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leap program.
In 2019, roughly 656,000 cruise passengers and a further 240,000 crew members visited Stockholm. Together, they spent more than 57 million euros on hotel rooms, food, sightseeing excursions, shopping, etc. In addition, the cruise lines spent a total of 25 million euros on port fees, pilotage fees and fairway fees in Stockholm. The cruise industry therefore contributes enormously to the Stockholm region, generating a total economic effect of almost 176 million euros and creating approximately 1,100 jobs. Stockholm is a popular cruise destination and the majority of cruise travelers state that they are very satisfied with their visit.