On August 25th, Liaoning Port Group announced that the cruise ship "China Merchants Yidun" successfully docked at Dalian Port International Cruise Center, marking the successful completion of the first vessel connection test for Northeast China's first large cruise terminal shore power system. This milestone demonstrates Liaoning Port Group's capability to provide high-voltage shore power connections to large cruise ships exceeding 100,000 tons.

When cruise ships dock at ports for operations, they typically need to run auxiliary generators to maintain power for essential systems and daily operations. Shore power systems allow cruise ships to stop using their onboard diesel generators and instead connect to land-based electrical power when docked at terminals.

Previously, cruise ships relied on their own diesel generators to meet onboard electricity demands, which generated significant noise and emitted substantial amounts of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide. Shore power charging offers a more cost-effective solution, with usage costs not exceeding 1 yuan per kilowatt-hour.

To develop a green port, Liaoning Port Group collaborated with State Grid over 18 months to construct a 16MVA high-voltage variable frequency cruise shore power system. In August this year, China Classification Society Quality Certification Co., Ltd. conducted on-site pre-connection inspections, completing no-load operation tests and full-load operation tests, obtaining shore power system inspection reports and China Classification Society certification, meeting the requirements for large cruise ships to use shore power.

On August 23rd, when the cruise ship docked, a massive shore power cable reel vehicle approximately 4 meters high was positioned at the terminal. Engineering technicians worked closely with ship crew members, and after ensuring all electrical pre-test procedures were successfully completed, they securely connected five power cables to the ship's charging system. When the final cable head was inserted into the ship's electrical connection device, the screen display immediately stabilized voltage and frequency values within the standard range of "6.6kV/60Hz."

"Grid connection successful!" With this command, the "China Merchants Yidun's" auxiliary systems gradually shut down, completely switching to shore power supply, marking Liaoning Port Group's first time "charging" a cruise ship.

"After the project becomes operational, it can completely replace auxiliary engine low-sulfur fuel self-generation. When large cruise ships dock, each voyage can use over 20,000 kilowatt-hours of shore power on average. Based on 15 voyages per cruise season, this can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60 tons annually," explained Wang Gan, Energy Management Manager of Liaoning Port Co., Ltd.

The cruise shore power project represents a total investment exceeding 47 million yuan. Each cruise berth is equipped with two cruise shore power socket boxes to accommodate different cruise ships' electrical connection needs on either port or starboard sides, enabling berths 8#, 9# and 10#, 11# at Dalian Port's main port area to connect cruise shore power.

During the "China Merchants Yidun's" 5-hour shore power supply period in port, the vessel consumed 18,812 kilowatt-hours of electricity, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 3.8 tons.