Ports tender for specialist supervision of shore power projects
A new supervision contract for shore power at two container terminals shows how ports are equipping to meet EU alternative fuel requirements.
A new supervision contract for shore power at two container terminals shows how ports are equipping to meet EU alternative fuel requirements.
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Published on 31st December 2025, Lučka uprava Rijeka has launched a new engineering supervision contract for shore power systems at two container terminals. The authority is seeking professional oversight of both design and construction so that ships can draw electricity from the quay in line with EU regulations on alternative fuels. The work sits within a wider shift, driven by measures such as FuelEU Maritime, that is pushing ports to cut emissions from vessels at berth and to align local infrastructure with a changing regulatory regime.
According to the notice, Lučka uprava Rijeka needs professional supervision services for the design and construction of shore side power supply systems for ships at two container terminals. The objective is straightforward: to ensure that the new installations comply with EU regulations on alternative fuels.
On projects of this kind, supervision teams typically sit between the client, designers and contractors, checking that designs satisfy technical, safety and legal requirements and then monitoring construction against those designs. They help document compliance, manage design changes and provide an independent view on technical risk, so that berth‑side equipment, cabling and control systems work together as intended.
The notice is concise and does not spell out technical specifications, timelines or budgets. But the reference to two container terminals indicates that the systems are being planned for working cargo berths, not just for a small‑scale demonstration. How the supervision is organised will influence how smoothly the works can be delivered alongside everyday terminal operations.
The notice makes clear that the new systems are intended “to comply with EU regulations on alternative fuels”. For ports, such regulations are no longer abstract. The EU’s emerging maritime framework, including initiatives such as FuelEU Maritime, is designed to shift energy use away from conventional marine fuels. Shore‑side electricity is one of the most visible ways to do that, allowing ships to plug into the grid instead of running auxiliary engines while berthed.
For port authorities, compliance is becoming a multi‑year infrastructure task. It demands planning for grid capacity, high‑voltage equipment, safety systems and the operational routines that will govern how ships are connected and disconnected. That planning is increasingly visible in a wave of public tenders across Europe, many of them focusing on the expertise needed to shape and oversee projects rather than on construction works alone.
In September 2025, the Grand port fluvio maritime de l'axe Seine – Direction territoriale du Havre launched a contract 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. That tender underlined how buyers are not just procuring hardware but also long‑term technical assistance around new shore‑side connections.
In October 2025, the Autoridad Portuaria de Málaga went to market for the design, management supervision and execution of a 66/20 KV distribution substation to support its OPS system and other supplies. Bringing design, engineering management and commissioning into a single package reflects the scale of the electrical upgrades needed to underpin alternative fuel infrastructure.
Several recent tenders show how ports are moving from concept and permitting into the delivery phase for shore power and related systems.
In July 2025, Ventspils brīvostas pārvalde advertised construction supervision services for electrical network connection points for incoming ships at Berth No. 16. By August 2025, Akcinė bendrovė Klaipėdos valstybinio jūrų uosto direkcija (PV) was seeking support to prepare project proposals and construction permits for onshore power supply equipment for cruise ships at specific docks. Together they show ports investing both in early‑stage planning and in close oversight of works.
In November 2025, Fredericia Havn A/S issued a tender for the supply and installation of a shore power facility for container ships, including connection to the supply cable, cable pulling to two dockside connection points, installation of plugs, obtaining permits and technical training. A few weeks later, in December 2025, aktsiaselts Saarte Liinid tendered for the design and construction of shore charging systems for electric vessels at Virtsu and Kuivastu ports. In both cases, the focus is squarely on delivering operational systems.
December 2025 also saw Skagen Havn publish a notice for a high‑voltage shore connection at its cruise quay, covering the delivery of an onshore power system, a cable management system and operational readiness by November 2027. Around the same time, aktsiaselts TALLINNA SADAM launched a contract for the purchase, delivery and installation of shore power equipment at Muuga Harbour, including a substation and related project preparation and permit applications. In November 2025, the Special Fund Port in the Freie Hansestadt Bremen sought supplies of green electricity for newly installed shore power systems in Bremerhaven.
This sequence—from project proposals and supervision through to equipment installation and electricity supply—illustrates the multi‑step nature of shore power roll‑out. The Rijeka supervision contract is one piece in the same chain, aimed at making sure that when works proceed at the two container terminals they are technically sound and demonstrably compliant.
The decision to commission specialist supervision mirrors a wider pattern in public infrastructure projects. In July 2025, Gmina Miasto Świnoujście advertised a contract for a contract engineer to oversee a surface water desalination plant, with responsibilities stretching from legal compliance under construction law to managing technical, organisational, financial and legal aspects of the scheme.
In October 2025, LUČKA UPRAVA ŠIBENIK sought professional supervision and occupational safety co‑ordination for the construction of the Dobrika‑Rogač connection quay, part of a port area modernisation project. Here supervision is tied not only to technical quality but also to worker protection and regulatory duties on site safety.
Across these examples, supervision teams provide public buyers with a structured way to manage complex contracts, align projects with legal and technical standards, and retain independent insight into progress on site. For shore power, the stakes include not only cost and schedule but also the ability of ports and ship operators to demonstrate that their facilities satisfy EU requirements on alternative fuels.
For Lučka uprava Rijeka, appointing a supervision provider for the two container terminals should help ensure that design choices are robust, that construction is documented against the relevant standards, and that the resulting systems can be presented with confidence to regulators, shipping lines and local communities.
The Rijeka notice does not set out detailed phasing or technical parameters, but it does fix the need for professional supervision at the heart of the project. Once a provider is appointed, attention will turn to how supervised design work translates into buildable plans for shore‑side connections at the two container terminals.
Further procurements may follow, mirroring patterns seen at the Grand port fluvio maritime de l'axe Seine, in Málaga, at Muuga Harbour and in Bremerhaven, where separate contracts have covered onshore power equipment, substations, maintenance, training and electricity supply. Together, such contracts amount to a substantial reshaping of how ships are powered while in port. As EU rules on alternative fuels tighten, the new supervision contract from Lučka uprava Rijeka is a clear signal that shore power for container ships here is moving from discussion into detailed design and delivery.
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