New contract for a high-voltage shore link at a cruise quay highlights how public buyers are bundling onshore power and cable systems to expand cleaner port energy.
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A new high-voltage shore connection at the Port of Skagen’s cruise quay will deliver an onshore power and cable management system for visiting cruise ships, with operational readiness required by November 2027. The contract sits within a growing wave of European public procurements that treat shore power as core grid infrastructure.
On 16th December 2025, Skagen Havn issued a contract notice for the High-Voltage Shore Connection for Cruise Ships. The project involves establishing a high-voltage shore connection at the cruise quay in the Port of Skagen to supply electrical power to cruise ships. The scope includes delivery of an onshore power system and a cable management system, with the installation required to be ready for operation by November 2027.
Bringing the onshore power and cable management elements together in a single procurement underlines the port’s intention to secure a coordinated solution at the interface between quay and vessel. While the notice does not set out technical ratings or detailed design, the emphasis on a high-voltage installation signals that this is a substantial piece of electrical infrastructure rather than a small retrofit.
For suppliers, the timeline to November 2027 frames not only design and construction, but also factory testing, integration of ship-connection equipment and commissioning at the cruise quay. The contract notice effectively fixes that date as the main performance milestone.
The explicit inclusion of a cable management system in Skagen’s tender reflects a pattern emerging across other European ports. In September 2025, the Northern Lighthouse Board published a prior information notice for a Shore Power Cable Management System at Oban Base to enable shore power for the new hybrid vessel NLV Pole Star, highlighting the need for flexibility, safety, environmental suitability and minimal impact on existing infrastructure.
Also in September 2025, the Hamburg Port Authority AöR went to market for the design and construction of cable management systems for shore power plants at the Unikai terminal, supporting RoRo and optionally container ships and focusing on energy efficiency and sustainability. In October 2025, Stockholms Hamn AB followed with a contract for a mobile cable dispenser system and charging station for container ships at Norvik Harbour, designed to meet defined power transfer requirements and standards.
In December 2025, Oslo kommune v/ Oslo Havn KF took a similar approach with a tender for shore power plant installations at Kneppeskjær for CCS ships, requiring compliance with Enova grant specifications and offering options for various cable management and service solutions. Skagen’s combined onshore power and cable management procurement sits squarely within this trend of treating the cable interface as a critical, specified part of shore power delivery.
Across the wider port sector, shore power projects are advancing for a wide range of vessel types. In July 2025, Syndicat Mixte Ports de Normandie launched an electrical connection project at the Ouistreham ferry terminal to support shore power for passenger ships, explicitly aligning the work with European climate regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Later that month, Grand port fluvio maritime de l'axe Seine’s Le Havre directorate tendered for the design, execution and maintenance of an electrical supply system for container ships at the Quai des Amériques, including training and support for commissioning.
In August 2025, APA - Administração do Porto de Aveiro, S. A. sought the supply and installation of an OnShore Power Supply System for ship electric power, while in September 2025 Udviklingsselskabet By & Havn I/S turned to the advisory market for technical advice on a transformer station to support a new shore power system for cruise ships in Copenhagen. In October 2025, Akcinė bendrovė Klaipėdos valstybinio jūrų uosto direkcija issued a tender for project proposals and permits for onshore power equipment for cruise ships at specific berths.
By November 2025, Fredericia Havn A/S was procuring the supply and installation of shore power facilities for container ships, including connection to the supply cable, cable pulling to two dock connection points, installation of plugs, permit handling and technical training. In December 2025, aktsiaselts Saarte Liinid launched works for shore charging systems for electric vessels at Virtsu and Kuivastu ports, while aktsiaselts TALLINNA SADAM began procurement of shore power equipment at Muuga Harbour, including a substation and permit applications for Ro-Pax and container ships.
Not all buyers plan to operate the assets themselves. In November 2025, Belfast Harbour issued a prior information notice for a shore power facility partnership, seeking a partner to design, install and operate the facility, manage power connections and set sales tariffs. That same month, Freie Hansestadt Bremen, represented by bremenports GmbH & Co. KG, tendered the supply of green electricity for newly installed shore power systems at Bremerhaven, ensuring vessels can draw onshore electrical energy while docked.
Taken together, these procurements show public authorities tackling every stage of the shore power chain, from early technical advice and permitting through to construction, operation and electricity supply. Skagen Havn’s high-voltage shore connection sits firmly in the delivery phase, with a clear requirement to have the system ready by November 2027.
The Skagen project also lands in a wider market where public bodies are commissioning high- and medium-voltage systems across transport, buildings and energy. In July 2025, RDO - Rodoviária do Oeste, L.da tendered for the supply, installation and licensing of medium voltage infrastructure and three double chargers for simultaneous charging of an electric bus fleet. Later that month, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. sought works for high voltage systems and a photovoltaic installation at its new CPS facility for the IWU institute in Dresden.
In August 2025, N.V. HVC launched a contract for the design, engineering, construction and maintenance of a battery energy storage system in Alkmaar, specifying a minimum capacity of 15 MW and 30 MWh, all related equipment and civil works, and an optional energy management system. By December 2025, Bäderland Hamburg GmbH was procuring a new medium voltage system as a customer-owned facility, including switchgear, a transformer and remote control for energy generation, while HafenCity Hamburg GmbH sought high voltage and self-power supply systems for a zero-emission timber office building at Am Dalmannkai.
Cable and civil engineering expertise is under similar pressure. In August 2025, EWE HYDROGEN GmbH tendered for civil engineering services for 400 kV cable connections to a large-scale hydrogen electrolyser in Emden, using horizontal directional drilling and open construction. In November 2025, Energinet Eltransmission A/S looked for engineering support to develop a cable burial and protection strategy for the Konti-Skan Connect HVDC interconnector, taking account of seabed conditions, human activities, geotechnical risks and a Security by Design assessment of unconventional threats.
Elsewhere, Gmina Olsztyn’s September 2025 order for electric buses and chargers, Etablissement- og Terrænkommandoen’s August 2025 project for the renovation and upgrade of harbour facilities at Korsør Naval Station with new technical installations and environmental compliance, and EnBW Erneuerbare Operation & Service GmbH’s November 2025 tender for port and warehousing logistics services for North Sea offshore wind farms all underline how ports, cities and energy companies are reshaping their electrical and maritime infrastructure in parallel.
These overlapping programmes mean suppliers able to deliver high- and medium-voltage systems, cable routing, civil works and control systems face a broad set of opportunities. The Skagen shore connection will compete for many of the same skills, even as it targets the specific requirements of cruise ship calls at a single quay.
For Skagen Havn, the central test written into the contract notice is the requirement to have the high-voltage shore connection, onshore power system and cable management system operational by November 2027. Meeting that milestone will require disciplined scheduling from design through to installation and commissioning at the cruise quay.
The broader picture from recent notices is one of ports and public authorities moving step by step: some, like the projects in Copenhagen and Klaipėda, are still at the advisory or permitting stage; others, such as Bremerhaven’s green electricity procurement and Belfast’s search for an operating partner, focus on service models and power supply. Skagen Havn’s project adds a concrete delivery phase to this landscape, and its progress will be watched by ports, energy utilities and contractors involved in the next wave of shore power and high-voltage connections.
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