Shore power

Quality 0.50 · 3 views · Updated 2 months ago

Providing electrical power from shore to a ship

title: "Shore power" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["electric-power-transmission", "air-pollution-control-systems", "ports-and-harbours", "nautical-terminology", "power-electronics", "port-infrastructure", "maritime-transport", "electrical-engineering", "infrastructure"] description: "Providing electrical power from shore to a ship" topic_path: "engineering" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shore_power" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Providing electrical power from shore to a ship ::

Shore power or shore supply is the provision of shoreside electrical power to a ship at berth while its main and auxiliary engines are shut down. While the term denotes shore as opposed to off-shore, it is sometimes applied to aircraft or land-based vehicles (such as campers, heavy trucks with sleeping compartments and tour buses), which may plug into grid power when parked for idle reduction.

The source for land-based power may be grid power from an electric utility company, but also possibly an external remote generator. These generators may be powered by diesel or renewable energy sources such as wind or solar.

Shore power saves consumption of fuel that would otherwise be used to power vessels while in port, and eliminates the air pollution associated with consumption of that fuel. A port city may have anti-idling laws that require ships to use shore power. Use of shore power may facilitate maintenance of the ship's engines and generators, and reduces noise. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/2019-10-03_-_Landstromanlage_Port_of_Kiel.jpg" caption="4.5MW connection at the Port of Kiel in Germany"] ::

The amount of power required can be relatively large, for example for visiting cruise ships to cold-iron, the port of Flåm in Norway fitted a system capable of supplying 16 Megavolt-amperes to a ship, the port of San Diego is capable of supplying three ships at a time at these power levels and additionally has a high-voltage shore connection.

Oceangoing ships

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/IEC_ISO_IEEE_80005-1_plugs_ready_to_be_attached_to_a_Ship_in_the_Port_of_Oslo.jpg" caption="IEC ISO IEEE 80005-1 shorepower plugs ready to be attached to a ship in the [[Port of Oslo]]."] ::

"Cold ironing" is specifically a shipping industry term that came into use when all ships had coal-fired engines. When a ship tied up at port, there was no need to continue to feed the fire and the iron engines would cool down, eventually going completely cold – hence the term "cold ironing". Commercial ships can use shore-supplied power for services such as cargo handling, pumping, ventilation and lighting while in port, they need not run their own diesel engines, reducing air pollution emissions. Examples are ferries and cruise ships for "hotel" electric power, and a salmon feeder ship uses shore power while at the salmon farm.

For the bigger connection the system may also include equipment to convert the voltage and frequency to that of the vessel. Several ports have programmes for expanding shore power.

As part of the EU’s for 55 programme, all main ports in the European Union will have to have shoreside electricity available by 2030. , 46% of cruiseships can use shoreside electricity while in port.

Small craft

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Small_boats_using_shore_power.jpg" caption="website=Fisheries Supply}}"] ::

Trucks

Shore power, as it relates to the trucking industry, is commonly referred to as "Truck Stop Electrification" (TSE). The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that trucks plugging in versus idling on diesel fuel could save as much as $3240 annually. there were 138 truck stops in the USA that offer on-board systems (also called Shore power) or off-board systems (also called single system electrification) for an hourly fee. Auxiliary power units offer another alternative to both idling and shore power for trucks.

Aircraft

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/201701_EI-XLD_with_GPU_supply.jpg" caption="ground power unit]] (GPU) may be used to supply electric power for an aircraft on the ground, to sustain interior lighting, ventilation and other requirements before starting of the main engines or the aircraft [[auxiliary power unit]] (APU). It is also used by aircraft with APUs if the airport authority does not permit the usage of APUs whilst parked, or if the carrier wishes to save on the use of jet fuel (which APUs use). This may be a self-contained engine-generator set, or it may convert commercial power to the voltage and frequency needed for the aircraft (for example 115 V or 230V / 400 Hz)."] ::

Trains and buses

Shore power may be a grid connection for passenger trains laying over between runs. Similarly buses may be connected when not in use.

References

References

  1. [http://crosstree.info/Documents/ColdIroning.pdf Cold-Iron the Ships by Capt. Pawanexh Kohli] {{Webarchive. link. (2018-10-22)
  2. zpiritas. "Shore power to Flåm Port - PSW Power & Automation AS".
  3. (3 March 2021). "Salmon farmer installs 5.6km power supply to feed barge - FishFarmingExpert.com".
  4. "ShoreBoX {{!}} Schneider Electric Egypt".
  5. (15 October 2025). "8 Ports Racing to Shore Power in 2026 & Beyond – Ship Universe".
  6. Europe, CLIA. "CLIA Europe".
  7. "Marine electrics: the basics of 12-Volt systems".
  8. "Using Shore Power".
  9. "Shore Power 101".
  10. "Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center: Truck Stop Electrification for Heavy-Duty Trucks".
  11. "Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center".
  12. FPWI, Peter Stanton BSc CEng FIMechE FIET. (August 25, 2021). "Feeding the train - Intelligent shore supply".
  13. (2014-04-07). "Making a connection". Port Strategy.
  14. "Overview of Shore Power Sockets and Plugs - IEC/IEEE 80005".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

electric-power-transmissionair-pollution-control-systemsports-and-harboursnautical-terminologypower-electronicsport-infrastructuremaritime-transportelectrical-engineeringinfrastructure