North Sea Port opens new jetty with shore power for river cruises

North Sea Port, the cross-border port area between Vlissingen (the Netherlands) and Ghent (Belgium), has installed a new jetty with shore power. Ships arriving in Ghent must now dock here. With this investment, North Sea Port strengthens its position as a European sustainable port.

The sustainable jetty, located at the head of the Grootdok, is 85 meters long and 6 meters wide and can accommodate four river cruise ships at once, two on each side of the pier. It has four shore power units.

Reducing pollution and noise

Thanks to the shore power supply, cruise ships no longer need to run their diesel engines, significantly reducing CO2, particulate matter, nitrogen, and sulfur emissions. Noise pollution from running diesel engines is also eliminated.

Each river cruise ship that connects to shore power saves 1.2 tons of CO2. With around 400 registered river cruises in Ghent, this amounts to a reduction of 500 tons of CO2 emissions for a cruise season.

Cruise tourism

River cruise tourism plays a modest role in Ghent tourism. Approximately 55,000 tourists take part in it annually. Ghent is an attractive destination for travelers from the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States.

Construction began in May last year. Most of the work was done from the water to minimize disruption to the surrounding area. The project cost approximately 2.7 million euros and was partly financed by European and Flemish subsidies.