Clean energy is slowly becoming a standard in many cities for powering different modes of transport. However, with the shipping industry being a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, bringing clean energy to the seas is also crucial. In the Belgian North Sea, the company Parkwind has now opened the first electric ship-charging station.

Around 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the shipping industry – similar to the amount of emissions from flying. Innovation is slow in the sector, which is also due to technical difficulties such as the sheer size of container ships. But slowly, change is coming. From hydrogen ferries to innovative sail systems for cargo ships, the waters are slowly going green. Belgian energy provider Parkwind has now installed the first electric ship-charging station in the Belgian North Sea, an important contribution to changing the sector.

Transferring electricity from a wind farm to vessels

Parkwind and MJR Power & Automation, an offshore systems engineering company from the UK, are working on electrifying the seas. With their wind-powered electric charging station in the middle of the Belgian North Sea, they offer an alternative power source for ships and boats. It is a world first. The substation wind form is connected to Parkwind’s Nobelwind wind farm, around 45 km off the Belgian coast. With its 50 turbines, this wind farm is part of a system of farms that supply power to about 190,000 households.

The new charging station goes one step further: Rather than providing household energy, it will use wind to power maritime operations. Parkwind has said that its goal is to create a sustainable, electric alternative to traditional gas and fuel systems.

The charging system was transported to the offshore substation earlier in 2024 and lifted in modules using the substation crane. It resembles an offshore oil rig. The company was able to set it up in less than two days and test it with a crew transfer vessel, which went very well. “The trial proved the system can transfer electricity from a wind farm to the vessels safely without any disruption to the farm,” Kristof Verlinden, Head of O&M at Parkwind, said in a statement.

Accessing energy directly from wind turbines

The electric ship-charging station is very versatile. Its 8-megawatt charger, installed on an oil rig, can power different, smaller crew transfer vessels with up to two megawatts of power, but it can also charge larger service operation vessels with up to eight megawatts. In addition, it is able to supply offshore power to other vessels idling offshore on standby. This will help to dramatically reduce emissions from diesel generators, as well as reliance on diesel engines. Maintenance vessels are another target group: They can access green energy directly from the wind turbines as they carry out their work.

A hands-free coupling and uncoupling apparatus means that ships can connect and disconnect to the charger with ease and safety. The station can adapt to different conditions, so that even with choppy waters, vessels will stay in place while charging. They don’t need to dock, which makes the new system particularly versatile.

For now, the charging system has been successfully tested. MJR now wants to deliver its first commercial offshore charging system in the first quarter of 2025. It will be funded by the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership and the UK Department of Transportation to provide another source of energy in the North Sea between Belgium and the UK.

Cruise ships and cargo vessels are next

While Parkwind’s innovation is definitely a step in the right direction, the electrification of sea transport is still in its infancy. Charging is still relatively slow and there are not a lot of stations. In addition, many ships that could be electrified do not have the correct equipment and charging points just yet. Going forward, it is important to make sure that chargers are uniform all over the world.

In Hamburg, the port is working hard on providing charging stations even for large ships like the Stena Line ferries that go towards Scandinavia. By 2030, all berths in the large German port will provide shore power. Brittany Ferries is working on providing up to 12 megawatts in just 90 minutes – that is more than 100 times more energy than a Tesla car needs to charge from empty.  This speed of charging requires either a mini power station or a storage unit like a battery that can capture energy and release it when needed.

Another innovation underway consists of lithium-ion batteries for ships that can replace diesel generators or at least offer a diesel-electric hybrid transport, making travel cleaner. Both Stena and its rival P&O are already committed to hybrid boats. Since summer 2023, the world’s largest hybrid ferry, the P&O Pioneer, runs on the Dover to Calais route. Irish Ferries is rolling out on-board charging for electric cars. And cruise ships and cargo vessels will be next to make the switch – electric ship-charging like the one provided by Parkwind will be crucial for that endeavour.

Read more: A few years ago, the world’s first zero emission super yacht took to the sea.