More shore power for the Port of Duisburg

The Port of Duisburg is setting a strong example for sustainable inland shipping: With the official inauguration of a total of 59 new shore power connection points, another milestone has been reached in the climate-friendly transformation of the world's largest inland port. The new systems enable ships to switch off their diesel engines while docked and supply themselves with environmentally friendly electricity. For this purpose, several kilometers of cables have been laid underground at Mühlenweide, on Mercator Island, and at Pontwert in recent months. In addition, seven new transformer stations have been built. A total of 69 charging points is now available in the port area. The Port of Duisburg is thus currently the German leader in shore power supply for inland vessels – both in terms of number and comprehensive coverage.

North Rhine-Westphalia is a major logistics hub for freight transport on roads and rivers. Thanks to the new shore power systems in the Port of Duisburg, ships will be able to use green electricity to operate their onboard instruments, thereby reducing the use of emissions-intensive diesel generators. Ultimately, everyone benefits: The waters will be better protected from pollution, and noise and CO2 emissions will be reduced," said Silke Krebs, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia. "This is an important step on the path to the climate-neutral transformation of the Port of Duisburg."

The Port of Duisburg is setting standards for sustainable development and, with shore power as an important part of the infrastructure, is contributing to developing the Rhine into a green shipping corridor," explains Viktor Haase, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Port of Duisburg. "Our goal was to meet the needs of inland waterway vessel operators with the new, expanded charging infrastructure and to keep the charging process as simple as possible," says Ann-Kathrin Stinder, Project Manager at duisport. Therefore, in the future, all that is needed is to hold an activated payment card against the charging stations, and the vessel will be supplied with electricity via a cable. The electricity provided comes 100 percent from renewable energies. The forecast is that this will save over 2,800 tons of CO₂ annually.

Further strengthening the waterway as a sustainable mode of transport."

"The new shore power infrastructure is another step on our path to positioning the Port of Duisburg as a pioneer in sustainable logistics," says duisport CEO Markus Bangen, who is pleased with the political backing: The state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the federal government have funded the project with approximately €3.8 million. Lars Nennhaus, duisport Board Member for Technology and Operations: "Together, we are sending a strong signal for climate protection and, at the same time, creating the technical prerequisites to further strengthen the waterway as a sustainable mode of transport."

"Our goal was to meet the needs of inland waterway vessel operators with the new, expanded charging infrastructure and to keep the charging process as simple as possible," explains Ann-Kathrin Stinder, Project Manager at duisport. Therefore, in the future, all that is needed is to hold an activated payment card against the charging stations, and the vessel will be supplied with power via a cable. The electricity provided comes entirely from renewable energy sources. The forecast is that this will save over 2,800 tons of CO₂ annually.

Shore power supply in Duisburg at a glance (charging stations/charging points)

• 29 new charging stations for inland waterway vessels, each with two charging points
• 1 new charging station for river cruise ships, each with one charging point
• 3 modernized charging stations, each with two charging points
• 4 charging stations at the DGT, each with one charging point.

"The Port of Duisburg is setting standards for sustainable development and, with shore power as an important part of the infrastructure, is contributing to developing the Rhine into a green shipping corridor," explains Viktor Haase, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Port of Duisburg.