AIDA Cruises’ AIDAdiva became the first cruise ship to utilize Sweden’s first shore power plant when it docked at the Ports of Stockholm on July 25, 2024.
The new power plant equips two central quays with high-voltage onshore power and was built in collaboration with the Baltic Sea ports of Copenhagen/Malmö and Aarhus, Denmark, and Helsinki, Finland.
The new facility, which has taken two years to develop with support from Swedish government funding and European Union grants, allows cruise ships to connect to the local electrical grid, significantly reducing emissions while in port.
AIDA Cruises played a crucial role in bringing the power plant to fruition as a partner in the project, performing a test call at the port on May 30 to demonstrate the facility’s readiness and effectiveness.
Said Marco Torkler, director of technical projects and operational support at AIDA Cruises, “As an onshore power pioneer in Europe, AIDA Cruises has been committed to the development of sustainable infrastructure in Europe for many years.”
He continued, “We are happy to work with Ports of Stockholm with our knowledge and ships in the commissioning process of Sweden’s first onshore power facility for cruise ships.”
Read Also: Cruise Line Proves Older Ships Can Use Shore Power
Now fully operational, the Ports of Stockholm’s shore power plant can allow over 45 percent of cruise calls at the port to connect to electricity at the quay, contributing to the city’s goal of becoming climate-positive by 2030.
The Ports of Stockholm anticipates over 35 cruise ships will utilize the grid during the remainder of the 2024 cruise season, which kicked off in April. The port expects to welcome more than 120 cruise ship calls in 2024, including multiple calls by the 69,203-gross-ton AIDAdiva.
“AIDA Cruises is the first cruise to start using shore-side electricity in Europe,” said Dirk Inger, senior vice president Public Affairs, Communication & Sustainability at AIDA Cruises. “With shipboard investments in this technology, we are actively supporting the European Union’s goals to build a shore-side power infrastructure in ports of the Trans-European Transport Network by 2030.”
Leading the Way to Shore Power Connection
AIDA Cruises has been working to integrate shore power technology into its operations since 2004. The company started regular operations with Europe’s first shore-side power plant at Hamburg Altona in Germany in 2017.
In April 2022, Aida Cruises signed a declaration of intent with Cruise Baltic, a network comprising 32 ports and destinations, to implement shore power in the Baltic Sea region.
In 2021, it extended its shore power capabilities to ports in Kiel and Rostock-Warnemunde in Germany. By 2022, the cruise line owned by Carnival Corporation further expanded its capabilities into ports in Kristiansand, Norway, and the U.K.
In 2023, AIDA Cruises marked another milestone by opening Denmark’s first shore power facility at the Port of Aarhus. These ports, including Stockholm, ensure all AIDA ships departing from German ports can utilize shore power during their laytime.
The cruise line’s commitment to sustainability, which falls in line with Carnival Corporation’s goals to have all brands reach net-zero emissions in ship operations by 2050, extends beyond shore power.
The company, along with Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises, and Princess Cruises, is investing heavily in liquefied natural gas (LNG) and exploring alternative energy sources to power its fleet.
