A Danish company plans to install offshore charging stations for vessels to use instead of oil, helping to reduce carbon emissions.
Stillstrom, a new company owned by the Danish shipping giant Maersk, is developing technology that allows vessels to charge while moored to a buoy connected to the mainland via a power line, Interesting Engineering reported on January 28. Stillstrom has received funding from the Danish Maritime Fund and the Energy Technology Proof of Concept and Development Program.
Illustration of Stillstrom’s offshore charging station. (Photo: Maersk Supply Service).
Maersk aims to reduce “idle emissions” by installing hundreds of offshore charging stations for vessels at port. This way, they will use electricity from the charging station instead of consuming oil. Container ships can consume 3 to 5 tons of fuel each day even when not in operation, according to Maersk.
“Our vision at Stillstrom is to reduce carbon in the maritime industry by providing infrastructure for vessels to charge with clean energy while idle. The goal is to eliminate 5.5 million tons of CO2 within five years of commencing commercial operations, as well as eliminate fine dust, NOx, and SOx,” said Sebastian Klasterer Toft, a manager at Stillstrom.
Stillstrom plans to build a charging station by the end of this year at an offshore wind farm operated by Ørsted. The buoy will provide overnight power for the Service Operation Vessel (SOV) of Ørsted, thereby supporting the company’s carbon reduction goals. Ørsted will be responsible for connecting the charging buoy to the power grid.
According to Toft, Stillstrom aims to install buoys at 50 to 100 ports by 2028. The company is currently negotiating with several ports around the world.
