Nordic ports ramp up shore power with new cable systems
A harbour seeks a mobile cable dispenser and charging station for container ships, underscoring a wider push to cut emissions and standardise shore power.
A harbour seeks a mobile cable dispenser and charging station for container ships, underscoring a wider push to cut emissions and standardise shore power.
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Stockholms Hamn AB has set out plans to expand shore power at Norvik Harbour. Its new Mobile Cable Dispenser for Ships covers the manufacturing and delivery of a cable dispenser system and a charging station for container ships, designed to meet defined power‑transfer requirements and standards. Announced in October 2025, the move extends connections for larger vessels to cut emissions and aligns with FuelEU Maritime policy goals.
The notice is concise, but it clearly targets container‑ship operations at Norvik Harbour and stresses compliance with specific power‑transfer requirements and standards. In practice, cable management systems sit at the heart of shore power. They move and secure heavy high‑voltage cables between quay‑side equipment and a ship’s sockets, allowing safe and swift connection while the vessel is alongside.
Comparable procurements give a sense of what such systems often entail. In April 2023, Seehafen Kiel sought a mobile, self‑propelled, battery‑powered ship connection system rated at 11 kV/16 MVA or 6.6 kV/10 MVA and built to the IEC 80005‑1 standard, including an automated transfer device between junction boxes and a ship’s switchgear (link).
Earlier, in September 2022, the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen launched a multi‑site programme for four medium‑voltage shore‑power systems to the IEC/IEEE 80005‑1 standard across Bremerhaven. It included two systems for container berths, another for cruise, and one for RoRo. The brief detailed quay‑side plug‑in vehicles that travel along the quay, protections against weather and flooding, and a requirement for CO2‑free drives. It also highlighted the need to compensate for varying ship hatch positions and tides (link).
On the design side, Copenhagen’s CPH City & Port initiated a turnkey shore‑side power supply for cruise in May 2023, spanning a converter station, isolation transformers, distribution, and cable management. Options included extra converter capacity to reach at least 48 MVA in total, an additional mobile cable system crane rated 16 MVA, and service and maintenance for up to five years (link).
Specifications vary by use case. In March 2024, a UK naval‑base contract set out a 1.0 MW cable‑reel system with jumper cables and a moveable unit to serve vessels in line with IEC standards, illustrating the lower end of power demand compared to cruise or large container ships (link).
Stockholm’s notice does not list voltages, capacities or exact standards. But the emphasis on “specific power transfer requirements and standards” places it in the same family of medium‑voltage, safety‑critical systems that European ports are now procuring at pace.
Container terminals are a growing focus. In April 2024, the Port of Aarhus launched construction of a cable management system to supply container ships, integrating certified components with on‑shore power systems and phasing works around operational safety (link).
In March 2025, the Hamburg Port Authority sought design and construction of cable management systems at the Unikai terminal to support RoRo and, optionally, container ships, with an explicit focus on energy efficiency and sustainability (link).
Grid readiness and substation works are part of the story. In November 2024, Göteborg announced a transformer station at Skandia Port to support seven PPP connections for container and car transport vessels (link). And in Copenhagen, the same 2023 turnkey programme referenced above was complemented by extensive cable‑route works, including multiple 11 kV connections to two cruise quays and low‑voltage feeds for mobile cranes, with both land and sea cable sections in scope (link).
The technology mix continues to diversify. Stavangerregionen Havn sought a complete cable drum system in January 2025 to serve up to three ships at once in Mekjarvik, covering engineering, production, installation and commissioning (link). Solutions range from quay‑side reels and cranes to tracked vehicles and cable drums, chosen to fit berth layout, vessel type and local operating conditions.
Cruise deployments remain a reference point for standardisation. In June 2025, Oslo Havn outlined a purchase of a cable management system for cruise ships that must comply with Enova’s requirements and defined voltage and frequency specifications (link). These standards and verification regimes are shaping the equipment that ports, including container terminals, bring to market.
Norvik’s addition fits a wider shift to cut emissions at berth and to match evolving regulatory expectations. The Stockholm notice explicitly links the project to defined standards and to service for larger ships. Similar procurements across the region show how those aims translate into technical requirements and operating models:
For container terminals, the message is clear: shore‑power roll‑outs are converging on common standards, while equipment choices and layouts are tailored to local ship mixes and quay geometries. Norvik’s new cable dispenser and charging station add capacity in a port that sees large container traffic, and they do so within that emerging pattern.
The Stockholm notice does not detail voltages, frequencies or capacities, nor the precise form of the dispenser system. Based on the recent wave of European procurements, a few items will indicate the project’s direction as details emerge:
For Norvik, the direction of travel is set: bring container berths into a maturing European ecosystem of shore‑power equipment, standards and practices. The details—capacity, cable‑handling method and grid interface—will show how this project balances local quay geometry, vessel profiles and the region’s push for cleaner port operations.
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