Rotterdam Shore Power has selected ABB to engineer, construct and maintain shore-power systems at three deep-sea container terminals, the Port of Rotterdam Authority said. The award followed a competitive tender and covers works at the port’s busiest container berths.
The contract covers APM Terminals Maasvlakte II, Hutchison Ports ECT Delta and Hutchison Ports ECT Euromax. Together the three sites form a contiguous deep-sea container area within the Port of Rotterdam and are central to the scheme’s operational ambition.
Scope and hardware
The combined schemes extend over eight kilometres of quay and will provide 35 connection points where seagoing container ships can plug into shore power. The installations will include high, medium and low-voltage cables, fibre-optic cabling for communications and dedicated converter stations to manage the electrical supply.
Combined electrical capacity for the three terminals will exceed 100 MVA, according to the Port of Rotterdam Authority. That specification underpins the provision of multiple simultaneous connections along the quay and the converter infrastructure needed to match shipboard requirements.
Schedule and approvals
Construction is expected to begin in the second half of 2027, subject to final investment decisions and the necessary permits. The stated target is for the three terminals to be able to accommodate vessels using shore power from the second half of 2028.
The schedule factors in the sequential delivery of civil works, cable laying and the installation of converter stations along the quay. The timetable published by the authority sets out the broad milestones without prescribing daily construction sequencing.
Funding for the projects has been supported by Dutch government shore-power subsidies and by European Commission AFIF backing under the Connecting Europe Facility. Those grants form part of the financing package disclosed by the Port of Rotterdam Authority and underpin the business case presented in the tender process.
Under the contract, ABB is responsible not only for engineering and construction but also for maintenance of the shore-power systems once installed. The maintenance element covers operational upkeep and ensures the connection points and associated power electronics remain serviceable for visiting vessels.
The selection concludes the procurement stage for this phase of the Rotterdam shore-power roll-out and sets a clear timetable for delivery. If the final investment decisions and permitting proceed as planned, ships using the three specified terminals should be able to connect to shore power from mid-2028, providing port operators with an onshore electricity option at these deep-sea berths.