Lerwick Shows Shore Power Can Work Beyond the Major Hubs

Lerwick Harbour’s next shore-power scheme is a reminder that port electrification is not only a story for mega terminals. In island ports, where ferries are lifelines, cleaner berthing can become part of daily resilience.

Lerwick Harbour is extending its shore-power network to Holmsgarth Berth 3, enabling NorthLink vessels to draw electricity directly from the harbour network while alongside. The scheme, delivered with Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) and funded by CMAL and Transport Scotland, moves shore power closer to the routine operation of lifeline ferries serving Shetland and the wider northern-island network.

The contracts matter because they show the project has moved into delivery. Frank L Johnston (Shetland) Ltd has been appointed for civil engineering works. ABB Marine & Ports UK will provide the shore power, electrical and control system, working from design through installation, commissioning and testing. Engineering services company Arch Henderson is also involved in the design, with the project expected to run for around 14 months, including about 3.5 months of civil works before the electrical equipment installation and commissioning sequence.

The investment builds on Lerwick’s existing shore-power record. At Mair’s Pier, the port’s established connection has already supplied almost 9 GWh since installation, averaging about 1.7 GWh a year. For a remote harbour, that is not a token figure. It shows that shore power can be used regularly when infrastructure, vessel demand and port operations are aligned.

The strategic lesson for DTF is clear. Shore power is often discussed through major container ports and cruise terminals because regulation and emissions volumes naturally pull attention there. But Lerwick offers a different case: regular ferries, island logistics, community air quality and predictable calls. That combination can make the business and public-interest case easier to explain, even where traffic volumes are lower.

NorthLink ferries are not occasional visitors. They are part of the transport fabric linking Shetland, Orkney and mainland Scotland. When such vessels plug in, OPS is not only environmental equipment at the edge of the quay. It becomes part of the service infrastructure that supports passenger movement, freight continuity, crew welfare and quieter port communities.

This matters for island and archipelago ports across Europe. Many of them will not match the throughput of Rotterdam, Hamburg or Barcelona. But they do have patterns that suit electrification: repeated vessel calls, known operators, fixed berths and a community that directly feels the impact of harbour emissions and noise. Lerwick’s model is therefore less about size for its own sake and more about precision: build where the operating case is visible.

There is also a policy dimension. EU rules are pushing major TEN-T maritime ports to provide shore-side electricity for container and passenger vessels by 2030. Lerwick sits outside that EU framework, but its project is still relevant to the European debate. It shows that ports do not have to wait for the largest mandates before making practical progress. The same infrastructure logic can be applied wherever vessels call often enough, power demand is clear and the harbour has a credible route to delivery.

The engineering details will matter. Shore power requires grid capacity, berth-side equipment, vessel compatibility, safety procedures, metering, maintenance and a commercial model that operators can use without friction. Smaller harbours cannot afford ornamental infrastructure. Their projects need to be right-sized, reliable and connected to real vessel behaviour.

That is why the Mair’s Pier figure is so important. Nearly 9 GWh supplied is not a press-release ambition. It is usage. Holmsgarth Berth 3 takes that experience and extends it to another operational segment, with NorthLink vessels next in line to reduce generator use while alongside.

For the wider maritime sector, Lerwick should be read as a practical benchmark. The decarbonisation of ports will not arrive only through headline projects in the biggest hubs. It will also be built through repeated, lower-profile decisions in places where maritime transport is inseparable from daily life. Island ports may not always be the loudest part of the OPS debate, but they may become some of its most persuasive examples.