Port of Leith starts providing shore power

UK-based port operator Forth Ports has started providing shore power at the Port of Leith in Scotland.

PHOTO: Neil Gray, Scottish minister, and David Webster, Forth Ports’ director of energy, at the Port of Leith. Forth Ports

Victoria 1, a RoPax ferry chartered by the Scottish government, was the first to receive a shore power connection at the Imperial Dock in the Port of Leith. A RoPax is a ro-ro vessel that transports freight vehicles and has accommodations for passengers.

The move makes Port of Leith the first commercial port to offer shore power in mainland Scotland.

Shore power enables vessels docking at the port to switch off their fuel-based power systems, which reduces emissions significantly.

The port operator is working on extending shore power to the port’s Harbour Berth, which will cater to offshore construction vessels. The connection will come online later this month.

Shore power will also be enabled at the port’s deep water outer berth, which is under development.

Forth Ports’ director of energy David Webster says that the port is “committed to reducing the emissions from our operations” and intends on “offering shore power to our other vessels visiting the port in 2023.”

In another development in the shore power space in the UK this week, Port of Southampton said it plugged 15 ships into shore power a total of 42 times last year at its two cruise terminals – Horizon and Mayflower.

By Tuhin Roy

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