Kristansand plans to extend berth to improve its OPS offering

Earlier this year Kristiansand was chosen as the location to test and commission the on shore power system (OPS) installed on board NYK Cruises’ Asuka III.

After the tests were completed, the ship remained connected to shore power for 11 hours until departure. Repeated on/off cycles took place to ensure all the components were functioning correctly.
 
Fredrik Auestad, cruise operations manager at the port, said: “It’s important to note that the innovation here lies, not in Kristiansand’s infrastructure, but in the ship's new onboard system.”

Kristiansand’s shore power facility for cruiseships is located at Berth No 10, which is the primary berth for cruise calls. The facility was delivered by PowerCon and has a capacity of 16 MVA. It has been in operation since 2018 and sources 100% of its energy from hydropower.

Up until now a number of vessels have experienced difficulties utilising the port’s IKS's OPS due to the current berth length but that’s about to change.

To better accommodate the growing cruise industry and ensure all visiting cruise vessels can benefit from shore power, the port is planning to extend the 150m-long berth by a minimum of 15m. Construction is expected to start around this time next year.

Auestad says: “We are currently reviewing various design options, and we refer to the extension as part of our shore power adaptation project.”