Belgium’s First Shore Power Facility For RoRo Ships Launched

International Car Operators (ICO), a subsidiary of Japan’s NYK, began operations at Belgium’s first shore power facility for roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ships at the port of Zeebrugge.

The facility opened earlier this month after the conclusion of the testing phase, during which the safety and other parameters were checked and validated.

The first ship connected to the power system was a Pure Car and Truck Carrier operated by NYK.

Although the installation can support just one ship at a time, there are plans for future expansion.

Supported by the Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the project is a part of the wider sustainability program, which includes more than 600 electric vehicle charging stations, 12,600 m2 of solar panels and an automated parking tower for accommodating 10,000 vehicles.

This initiative also marks the first commercial use of shore power for RORO vessels in Belgium and also the first time an NYK-operated PCTC used shore power while docked.

Shore Power enables ships to receive electricity from the terminal while remaining in port, allowing onboard generators to be switched off, thus reducing carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions.

All the electricity supplied to the ships is produced using renewable sources at ICO’s wind farm, which has 11 turbines.

The company has also provided the cabling and connection infrastructure, enabling ships which which lack shore power equipment to use the facility.

ICO was established in 1984 and handles over 2.5 million vehicles each year through terminals in Zeebrugge and Antwerp.