SAET’s shore power system becomes operational at the Port of Gioia Tauro, powering its first container ship from shore
SAET’s cold ironing system at the East Quay of the Port of Gioia Tauro (in the municipality of Reggio Calabria in southern Italy), is now fully operational.
The first vessel to use the service was MSC Mirja, a container ship with a capacity exceeding 19,000 TEU, which was powered directly from the shore-side electrical grid throughout its stay in port.
Thanks to the new installation, the vessel remained berthed with its diesel generators switched off, drawing approximately 7 MW of electricity from the onshore power supply instead of generating power with its onboard engines. The transfer to shore power involved connecting the mobile shore connector, carrying out compatibility checks with the vessel’s electrical system, and completing the controlled switchover from onboard to shore-side power. The entire operation was completed smoothly and without incident.
Cold ironing at Gioia Tauro: infrastructure designed for large container vessels
The infrastructure has been specifically designed to serve the large container vessels that regularly call at the Gioia Tauro terminal.
The project represents the first operational phase of the port electrification programme promoted by the Southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Sea Port System Authority. The overall plan aims to increase the port’s total available electrical capacity to 160 MW, including the electrification of the quay cranes and yard cranes at the MCT terminal.
A step towards port decarbonisation
The commissioning of the system enables the Port of Gioia Tauro to significantly reduce atmospheric emissions and noise generated by ships while at berth, supporting the European Union’s decarbonisation objectives for maritime transport.
For SAET, this milestone demonstrates the company’s ability to design, build and commission large-scale shore power systems, managing the entire project lifecycle-from infrastructure delivery through to full operational start-up.
