Valletta shore power: 80 cruise calls connected as Malta traffic peaked at 999,510 passengers
Valletta's shore power system connected 80 cruise calls in the twelve months to 16 October 2025, the latest official count published by the Maltese government. The figure came during Malta's busiest cruise year in Transport Malta's 2016 to 2025 series: 999,510 passengers and 421 calls in 2025.
An official count of 2026 connections has not yet been published. What is on record is the infrastructure, the contracts with the cruise groups and the next projects in the pipeline. For how the system works and who pays, see the DTF guide to Malta port shore power.
At a glance
| Topic | |
|---|---|
| Cruise quays with OPS | 5: three at Pinto Wharf, Deep Water Quay, Boiler Wharf |
| Ships at once | Up to five cruise liners |
| Calls connected | 80 in the year to 16 October 2025 |
| Electricity supplied | About 3.7 million kWh |
| Investment | €49.9 million initiative; €33 million OPS project with €21.9 million from CEF |
| Shore power agreements | Four, the latest with NCLH in October 2026 |
| 2025 cruise traffic | 999,510 passengers, 421 calls (Transport Malta) |
What Grand Harbour has built
Infrastructure Malta installed 17 connection points serving the five main cruise quays, funded through the Connecting Europe Facility. The first full connections came on 1 and 2 December 2023, when Viking Saturn and Viking Venus ran on shore power. Valletta Cruise Port puts the whole initiative at €49.9 million. EU project records list the OPS investment at €33 million, with €21.9 million from CEF Transport.
Infrastructure Malta says the system cuts cruise ship air pollution in the harbour by 90%. The EU project record states that more than 90% of cruise ship emissions at berth are avoided, with about 36.3% less CO2 than conventional operation, benefiting some 17,000 residents around the harbour.
MSC World Europa became the first MSC ship to use the system, in 2024. On 15 and 16 October 2025, MSC World Europa and EXPLORA II plugged in on consecutive days during the DTF Conference week. MSC said its ships had spent more than 300 hours on Maltese grid power by then.
Traffic: a 2025 peak, a softer first half
The National Statistics Office counted 870,560 cruise passengers and 387 calls in 2025, up 2.5% on 2024. Transport Malta's annual cruise report, a separate series, records 999,510 passengers and 421 calls for the same year.
The NSO's first half figures for 2026 show 321,616 passengers, down 5.7%, across 159 calls, five more than a year earlier. The first quarter fell 22.9% while the second quarter was flat at 256,369 passengers on 126 calls.
Contracts with the lines
In March 2025 Transport Malta signed a shore power agreement with Carnival UK and P&O Cruises on behalf of Carnival Corporation & plc, whose nine brands call at Malta. The government said cruise liners contribute about €88 million a year to the economy, with passengers generating nearly €40 million of that.
On 14 October 2026 Transport Malta signed its fourth shore power purchase agreement, with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. Transport Malta chief executive Leonid McKay and NCLH director of nautical operations Cristian Cutugno signed, with Minister for Sustainable Mobility Chris Bonett present.
Next: the southern harbour and the Freeport
- Southern Grand Harbour: a €44.6 million scheme for cargo and ferry quays at Ras Hanzir, Laboratory Wharf, Magazine Wharf, the Palumbo shipyard and the Mediterranean Maritime Hub, backed by more than €12 million of CEF funds plus the Just Transition Fund. It is estimated to avoid 5,840 tonnes of CO2e and cut NOx by 93%.
- Malta Freeport phase 1: shore connections along North Quay Terminals 1 and 2, cofinanced by the EU Just Transition Fund and under way.
- Malta Freeport phase 2: high voltage supply at South Quay Terminal 2 and West Quay Terminal 1, an €18.4 million project with a CEF grant of up to €12.35 million approved in July 2025.
Why it matters for ports
The government has said Malta is five years ahead of the EU's 2030 deadline for cruise shore power. The question now is utilisation. Four contracts and five fitted quays create capacity; the share of calls that actually plug in is the number that will show whether the €49.9 million is paying back in cleaner harbour air.
Read more on Malta's fourth shore power agreement and shore power in Malta's tourism pitch. Grand Harbour hosts the conversation at DTF Malta 2027.
Valletta has the quays and the contracts. The next number to watch is how many 2026 calls plugged in.
