Tuesday, May 20, 2025 - 10:15 by ce-press
Copenhagen Malmo Port (CMP) operates the ports of Copenhagen, Malmo and the cruise terminal in Visby, and is jointly owned by the city of Malmo and the Copenhagen City and Port Development Agency (By & Havn) and, to that effect, has a collective responsibility to its owners, the residents and its customers.
With cruise being an important segment of the company’s activities and about 405 total calls a year, it’s imperative to keep everyone on point, and that includes high ambitions in terms of sustainability.
Luis de Carvalho, commercial cruise director CMP, said: “It is not enough to talk the talk, we have to walk the walk. Approximately €50 million is being invested in one of the largest onshore power supply [OPS] installations in Europe, which is all part of contributing to the decarbonisation of international shipping, as well as emission and noise reductions, while ships are at berth.”
The OPS is owned by By & Havn and CMP is operating the facility. Danish supplier, PowerCon, is responsible for the OPS installation, which will serve both Ocean Quay (three connections) and Langelinie (two connections). The inauguration of the shore power facilities is scheduled for June 2. A grid capacity of 20 MVA is available in 2025, which is primarily supplied with renewable energy, particularly wind power. By 2028 the grid capacity is expected to reach 48 MVA.
To demonstrate the technical complexity involved in developing these OPS systems, it is important to understand that the cable management system (CMS), which can be transported in a 20’ container, was two years in the making. Peter Castberg Knudsen, partner and CFO PowerCon, together with his team, gave CE members, press and cruiseline executives a demonstration of just how the system works on Ocean Quay on May 6, the day after the first CMS arrived.
A trench system on the quayside, with removable black composite covers, houses the cables which transfer power and provide flexibility. “When a vessel comes in, we don’t always know where it will connect as they have different hatches. We can move this system forwards and back to fit wherever the hatch is,” explained Knudsen.
An additional 300m is being added to Ocean Quay, but for now CMP makes efficient use of the Oceankaj terminals that celebrated their 10th anniversary last year. Some upgrading is taking place, which includes preparation for EES (European Entry/Exit System), new screens and better utilisation of spaces and flows, de Carvalho said: “We are working with cruiselines and providers to provide whatever is needed to improve cruiseline and passenger experience at our terminals.” CMP is also looking at extending the existing cruise terminals and has also installed an overhead rail system to help stevedores with the heavy lifting in conjunction with turn-around calls.
CMP has ambitions to promote and, if possible, facilitate fossil-free fuels. “We are in dialogue with cruiselines to understand their future fuels and energy demands in order for us to explore how we could facilitate - together with suppliers and partners - the best possible setup for future demands,” explained de Carvalho.
As far as Langelinie is concerned, renovations including new bollards and foundations, as well as extending the width, are expected to be completed by June 2025. OPS is being installed in conjunction with the renovation. “Langelinie is not just a historic and scenic pier - it is also a very centrally-located facility. This is a plus for cruiselines and guests but also comes with the obligation from our side to ensure that the port can coexist with nearby neighbours. Shore power, but also regulations on sound and light usage, as well as proper planning and dialogue, are key to making cruise calls at this amazing terminal a success for city and guests alike,” explained de Carvalho.
In terms of calls and passenger numbers, Copenhagen is also generally seeing positive developments, including the return of the large US cruiselines, after Saint Petersburg was dropped from itineraries in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Princess Cruises are bringing a third ship, Sapphire Princess, to the region in 2026 and Norwegian Cruise Line will bring the Norwegian Sun. Turnarounds will take place in Copenhagen.
On the customer base, de Carvalho commented: “While the US large cruise market is gradually returning, our primary cruise visitors in Copenhagen are Germans, amounting to over 50% of the guests. This is a very strong market that visits Copenhagen on cruiseships throughout the year. We are also happy to be hosting ships through the winter and are working hard, together with the entire sector, on shifting from the typical summer deployment to being an all-year round destination.” A theme that was reiterated during the Cruise Europe conference.
