Monday, June 6, 2022 - 14:11 by ce-press
Whilst onshore power will not solve current carbon footprint problems, it will certainly help. Given that EU Directive 2014/94/EU requires the ports of Europe to install shore power facilities on priority basis by December 31, 2025, the topic is now more pertinent than ever.
The high cost of fuel and the question of whether or not a port has onshore power (OPS) gives rise to the question of whether some ports may lose out. Crystal Morgan, senior director deployment planning Princess Cruises, said: “If we remove a port, guests may not want to take the cruise. We may add sea days rather than remove ports.”
On OPS, Groothuis commented: “Whether a port has OPS will be part of our decision-making process about going there. We have to get the carbon off the ship.” Whilst Peter Wright, head of commercial planning Saga Cruises, highlighted the need for transparency re bookings at OPS berths.
Linden Coppell, director of sustainability MSC Cruises, answered one question that has been bothering ports for some time: “If the ports we visit do install, we will guarantee that we will come.” She acknowledged the high capital cost of installation for smaller ports, saying: “It may be a case of working with ports to help them present [the case] for onshore power installation.”
Jon Olav Stedje, Port of Flam, introduced the Environmental Port Index (EPI), which he said is all part of helping to improve the environmental footprint. The EPI solution enables ports to collect environmental accounting reports from visiting ships, which could be linked to an incentive scheme.
Transparency of bookings generally, whether OPS or calls, is an issue that continues. Congestion continues to raise its ugly head. Kai Algar, marine & port planning manager, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, put it this way: “The more passengers and ships in port, the lower the satisfaction rating.” Bratland added: “Ports/destinations needs to be realistic about how many visitors they can accommodate. This includes local visitors as well, not just cruise passengers.”
*Cruise Europe has just published its own fact sheet on OPS in cooperation with Bermello Ajamil & Partners. The three-page document covers how it works, how ports are affected and key trends and takeaways, as well as examples of applicable EU funding and financing schemes.
