ESPO calls for provisions to make systems for supplying shore-on-shore electricity to ships at berth effective

In particular, ESPO calls for full alignment of the article 9 of the AFIR proposal, which sets out the objectives for the supply of electricity from land in seaports, with articles 4 and 5 of the FuelEU initiative, relating to energy used on board of vessels, and with Annex III to this proposal for a regulation listing zero-emission technologies that can be used as an alternative to connecting to the power supply electric from the ground during mooring.

"For years - said Isabelle Ryckbost, secretary general of ESPO - we discussed the problem of the egg and the hen as an obstacle to making real progress in making "green" maritime transport. Now we work together with all policy makers and stakeholders to move towards investments in technologies that are actually used and leading to an effective reduce in shipping emissions, both at berth and during navigation. Although different working groups in the Council and parliament's protagonists Europeans are working on each dossier - he noted Ryckbost - it is essential that these two fundamental proposals of "Fit for 55" are discussed together throughout the legislative process'.

Noting that systems to provide electricity from the ground ships at berth in ports are important tools for reduce shipping emissions, the association of ports Europeans stressed that these systems should be used where the greatest reduction of gas to greenhouse effect produced by ships at berth. According to ESPO, it is therefore it is essential to set priorities and, for the association, it would be necessary and more effective to establish installation on the basis of a minimum volume level of traffic by port terminal, rather than by port, in order to prioritize busy port terminals and thus avoid the installation of systems that would be underused.

In addition, the association criticized the fact that the proposal AFIR only addresses the issue of installing supply of electricity from land in ports and neglect instead problems of network connectivity, capacity and network conversion, problems that - according to ESPO - should be addressed in the proposals as they are essential for make the electricity supply systems operational from land to the ships that are installed.

The association also asked to include the establishment of a consultation mechanism in order to facilitate the application of the requirements of AFIR and FuelEu Maritime given that, to allow to the ports to optimize their investments and ensuring their effectiveness, ports need to know whether a shipping company intends to use for its ships the power supply of the ground power grid or rather one of the other alternative technologies listed in Annex III to the proposal. In addition, ports should know the needs energy that ships at berth will need.