European ports lag on shore power installations
Ports across Europe are failing to adequately address toxic air pollution, according to a new study by DNV conducted on behalf of Transport & Environment (T&E).
Foto: Shutterstock.
The study reveals that only 20% of the shore power infrastructure required under EU regulations has been installed or commissioned in major ports. As a result, most container ships, cruise liners and ferries continue to burn fossil fuels while docked, contributing to harmful emissions in port cities.
T&E, a leading European NGO advocating for clean transport and energy, is urging ports to adopt more ambitious measures to reduce emissions from moored vessels and improve air quality.
Ships at berth account for over 6% of maritime CO₂ emissions in the EU. In addition to CO₂, they emit large quantities of sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM), all of which pose serious risks to human health.
Under the EU Green Deal, ports are required to provide shore-side electricity to ships by 2030. However, the report argues that accelerating the deployment of plug-in connections could already deliver substantial improvements in air quality. Of the 31 ports assessed, only four—Algeciras, Livorno, Świnoujście, and Valletta—have installed or contracted more than half of the necessary onshore power supply (OPS) systems.
Ports such as Antwerp, Dublin, Gdansk and Lisbon have yet to invest in any electric plug-in infrastructure. Meanwhile, major ports including Rotterdam, Barcelona, Valencia, Bremerhaven and Le Havre were found to be lagging in meeting the EU’s electrification targets. Algeciras and Hamburg account for a significant share of Europe’s installed OPS capacity.
Several ports did not respond to the researchers by the survey deadline. These include: Marseille, Dunkerque, Tallinn, Copenhagen/Malmö, Oporto-Leixões, Gdynia, Helsinki, Varna, Piraeus, Helsingborg, Ploče, Limassol, and Marsaxlokk.
Inesa Ulichina, shipping policy officer at T&E, commented: “Ports are failing local residents and passengers by allowing unnecessary pollution from moored ships. Electric plug-in technology is available and would reduce shipping’s impact on local air pollution and the climate overnight. For segments like cruise shipping, which spend considerable time in port, plugging in would be a game-changer.”
Due to their extended time at berth, cruise ships produce more than six times the port-side emissions of container vessels. In 2023, Carnival’s 3,500-passenger Azura emitted approximately 22,800 tonnes of CO₂ while docked in European ports. Plugging in would have eliminated nearly all of these emissions, cutting the ship’s annual total by around 20%.
T&E is calling on the EU to advance shore power requirements for cruise ships to 2028, allow ports to receive clean energy credits when ships plug in, allocate more funding for port electrification, and expand the scope of the rules to include all polluting vessels—not just the largest passenger and container ships.
This article was written by the World Cargo News Editorial Team / ANP and was published on July 16, 2025, on worldcargonews.com.
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