What do you think about onshore power supply? Does anyone have experience with this? What are the problems you have encountered?
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Hello @Iro
Onshore power supply is viewed by some as a practical approach to curbing emissions in ports, while others have faced difficulties in its execution.
ABB’s turnkey solution serves as a prime example of successful implementation.
Shore-to-ship - Article from ABB review.pdf (1.2 MB)
The European Onshore Power Supply Association (EOPSA) advocates for the interests of an entire ecosystem consisting of energy companies, port authorities, and maritime operators.
The advantages of onshore power supply extend to both port authorities and vessel owners, providing both environmental and economic benefits. Nevertheless, there may be safety challenges that need addressing, requiring solutions to ensure secure implementation.
Safety concerns regarding onshore power supply in ports for ships encompass
- fire hazards,
- electrical hazards,
- potential risks associated with equipment failure and
- improper connections between the ship and shore power supply.
To ensure safe installation and operation of onshore power supply systems, guidelines and standards have been developed.
IMO approved in June 2023 the MSC.1/Circ.1675 on Interim guidelines on safe operation of onshore power supply (OPS) service in port for ships engaged on international voyages, which detail possible means of mitigating hazards to guarantee secure and reliable system operation.
Proper equipment use and personnel training can also help mitigate potential risks linked to onshore power supply implementation.
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I am actually trying to find the latest msc circular but haven’t been able until now.
One thing that concerns me regarding the ops is that there is a lot of miscommunication even in its name. Cold ironing, alternative maritime power (amp), onshore power supply (ops), shore side electricity (sse). They all are basically the same thing. So it’s not very well defined. It is even less well defined when we are considering technical specifications for low voltage shore connection.
I was also wondering if there is actual onboard experience on this.
The circular is approved during MSC.107 but not published yet. You can find the draft text of the circular in annex 20 of the report of SSE 9-20 (Sub-Committe on Ship Systems and Equipment). I understand that the draft text is approved without any changes.
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