A vessel operated by Norwegian shipping company Hurtigruten has become the first ship to connect to the newly installed shore power system at Svolvær Port in Norway.

The vessel, MS Trollfjord, connected to the system on February 4, Hurtigruten said in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday.

Shore power allows vessels to plug into onshore electricity and switch off their engines while berthed, cutting emissions and noise in port areas.

While the technology helps reduce local emissions, wider decarbonisation of shipping will still require significant investment in alternative marine fuels.

The climate benefit of shore power also depends on whether the electricity supplied is generated from renewable sources.

“Since 2018 all Hurtigruten’s ships have been able to connect to shore power, earlier with the NG3 system and now also with the IEC system,” the company said.