Monday, March 7, 2022 - 14:51 by ce-press
On February 16, Viking Venus became the first cruiseship to plug in to the onshore power supply system in the Port of Bergen, marking a milestone for a more sustainable cruise tourism in Bergen. The connection lasted about 45 hours during the two-day stay.
“This is a big day for the Port of Bergen,” said acting port director Ulrik Jorgensen during the connection at Skolten quai. “When the cruiseships turn off the diesel engines, and instead use electricity when they are at the quay, they contribute to cleaner air in Bergen,” he added.
Viking Cruises stated: ‘We congratulate Bergen that shore power is now available along the cruise quays in the harbour, and we are pleased to have the first cruiseship that connects during a regular cruise call to Bergen.
“Viking is proud to have Bergen as its homeport for our ships and to have built up the port into an international turning port for cruises in collaboration with our partners in Bergen. All of our ships that call at the port in the future will use the facility.”
There are five connection points in Bergen, but no more than three cruiseships can be connected at the same time. Each facility can deliver up to 16 MVA on the ships that use 11 kV and 9.6 MVA on the ships that use 6.6 kV. It is possible to supply 50HZ or 60HZ at both voltages. Tommy Angeltveit, coo Plug, says: “This covers the needs of the cruiseships that come to Bergen. For the city this means a great local environmental benefit in relation to local pollution when the ships are at the quay.”
In terms of safety during a connection, Plug has its own procedure for this and reviews it with the relevant people on board, he explains. “In addition, we block off the area around the ship where the cables to the shore power go on board, so that passengers or other activity will not be able to damage the cables and to ensure their safety.
“We do a separate safety assessment in each individual case, since it is slightly different from ship to ship where the shore power connection is and what activity is to take place during the stay.”
