China could ultimately be the world’s largest cruise market. The development of cruise berths at Chinese ports continues at a rapid pace. With a view to mitigating environmental impact, China has introduced regulations to support the adoption of shore power to reduce emissions.

Setting the standard for shore power interfaces

Cavotec engineers recently commissioned an ingenious self-propelled, battery-powered shore power solution – Cavortec AMPMobile – at the Taiziwan cruise terminal at the Port of Shenzhen, southern China. The unit’s batteries are charged while it connects vessels to the grid. This means that no additional vehicles are required to move it around the quay, further reducing environmental impact.

Two other cruise terminals, Wusong in Shanghai and Qingdao in Shangdong, will soon be equipped with similar systems, setting the standard for shore power interfaces for cruise terminals in China.

Cavotec pioneered shore power in the 1980s, and AMPMobile first entered service at the Port of Los Angeles in 2011, with six further units in service in Californian, Chinese, and European ports. AMPMobile is now also used to power cruise vessels in Canada.

As a leading supplier of innovative shore power cable management systems to ferry, cruise, and container handling applications, we also develop solutions that connect and charge electric and hybrid vessels.

Several such systems have entered service in Europe in recent years, and the first came on line in Asia at the end of 2017, where a Cavotec AMPShore Reel connects Asia’s first e-ferry – the Cijian Island passenger ferry – to electrical power which charges the vessel’s battery pack.