Mobile shore power supply at the port of Copenhagen - saving time and increasing flexibility in daily operations

What was needed: A mobile shore power supply for cruise ships at two quays in the port of Copenhagen.

Requirements: Mobile shore power connection on the quay, compact movement of the heavy cables over a length of up to 360 metres, simple operation

Industry: Shore power supply

Success for the customer: Within a few minutes, the shore power socket is moved to the exact position required on the quay. As the system runs completely underground in a trough, the area along the quay wall is kept completely free.

The port of Copenhagen has three terminals for cruise ships: Oceankaj, Langelinje and Nordre Toldbod. As part of a comprehensive construction project, the Oceankaj and Langelinje quays were to be equipped with several shore power supply systems in order to supply cruise ships with electricity flexibly and quickly after they have docked. The port of Copenhagen is also contributing to the fact that fewer and fewer ships are running diesel generators at berth and releasing CO2 into the environment.

But it was not to remain a simple static shore power solution. Those responsible were looking for a flexible system, the connection should move independently to the cruise ship - exactly where the electricity is needed.

In total, several berths on the quay were to be covered directly with a mobile system. Two times 300 metres along the Langelinje terminal and three stretches along the Oceankaj terminal with lengths of 320, 328 and 360 metres. For this purpose, robust energy chains were sought that could permanently support the high cable weights.

Other requirements for the system were simple and fast operation, rapid processing with a long service life and reliability, as well as the most compact installation design possible. As harbour personnel and tourists move around the quay, no cables had to be left lying around.

Finally, the transfer vehicles should also be equipped with energy chains and cables. The cruise connection machines (CCMs) are compact vehicles with telescopic arms that transport the power cables to the connection points on the cruise ship at a height of several metres.

Five mobile systems for shore power supply at the berths, known as iMSPO Cruise, are now in use at the port of Copenhagen . The systems each consist of two central components. A wheeled control panel with the plug-in connections, which travels on a rail, and a long energy chain in which the cables for the power supply are safely transported over several hundred metres.

A particularly easy-to-move and robust rol e-chain of type 4040RHD is used for cable guidance. The system easily supports the heavy cable weights even on travels of 360 metres and more.

The special feature: as the heavy cables and large energy chains must not obstruct the space on the quay, the entire system, including the control panel, travels virtually out of sight in an underground trough.

The socket can be moved directly to the cruise ship's connection point on the quay by remote control. There, a base plate is removed and the control panel and connections are raised at the touch of a button.
Everything else is then carried out by a transfer vehicle, which uses a telescopic arm to transport the cables to the connection point on the ship, which is usually several metres above the ground.

The transfer vehicle itself also works with energy chains from igus. Five E4.42 energy chains are used per vehicle, which were supplied as fully harnessed readychain complete systems including chainflex cables. Specifically, CFCRANE motor cables, CFPE motor cables and CF78.UL control cables run in the energy chains.