First container ship connected to shore power in Aarhus

When container ships call at the Port of Aarhus in the future, they will soon have the option to shut down their diesel generators and connect to Denmark's first shore power facility for large container ships.

The brand-new shore power facility for container ships is taking shape and has just been tested on the ship Dettifoss from the Icelandic shipping company Eimskip.

Shore power for container ships is an important step in the development of a more sustainable port. As a hub for freight transport, through which the majority of the country's container cargo passes, it is also important for our competitiveness and the green transition that we have established the facility,

says Ulrik Andersen, CEO of the Port of Aarhus.

Dettifoss was connected for nearly 10 hours and received approximately 6.5 MWh from shore.

And at the Icelandic company Eimskip, there is great satisfaction that their ship became the first to receive shore power directly from the container terminal in Aarhus.

We have been using shore power for some time in Iceland, so being able to help get the facility up and running in Aarhus is a big deal. It is important for us to contribute to the green transition in container shipping,

says Thomas Breth Clausen, Managing Director at Eimskip Denmark.

When container ships are at berth, they still use energy for things like ship infrastructure and refrigerated containers for food, and that energy can soon come from shore.

In 2023, the Port of Aarhus opened Denmark's first shore power facility for cruise ships, but the new facility looks somewhat different.

There is a need for a different kind of flexibility at the container terminal. More ships arrive, there are more at a time, and they vary greatly in size and location at the quay. Once the new facility is fully built out, up to four container ships will be able to receive shore power simultaneously, and we are quite proud of that,

says Ulrik Andersen.

Dettifoss was connected for nearly 10 hours and received approximately 6.5 MWh from shore. In the coming weeks, the facility will be tested on more ships, and it is expected to be ready for daily operation in January 2027.

The project is supported by the EU's "Connecting Europe Facility" fund.