Space-saving mobile shore power supply at Container Terminal Tollerort (CTT) in Hamburg

What was needed: A space-saving and flexible shore power supply for docked ships, regardless of their mooring position

Requirements: Mobile shore power connection on the quay, compact movement of the heavy cables over a length of 100 metres

Industry: Shore power supply

Success for the customer: The motorised drum with "e-chain reel" energy chain, connected to a socket trolley at the end of the energy chain, enables the power supply to be moved precisely to the connection point on the ship. Thanks to the narrow socket trolley and the flat energy chain, space is also saved on the busy quay.

Container ships with a slot capacity of up to 23,000 TEU are loaded and unloaded at the Container Terminal Tollerort (CTT) at the Port of Hamburg. As at other terminals, the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) decided to install a modern shore power system here. In future, ships will no longer have to keep their diesel generators running once they have docked at the harbour. Instead, they will be energised on shore via a special socket.

However, the terminal will lose flexibility as a result. Ships of different types and sizes dock at the quay every day, with the connection to the grid at different points. Therefore, the only possible solution for the shore power supply was one that could quickly reach the individual berths of the ships and thus enable efficient container handling.

As Tollerort is the smallest terminal in the Port of Hamburg in terms of area, the shore power supply had to take up as little space as possible on the quay.

In order to supply ships with shore power without losing flexibility, the HPA opted for an "e-chain reel" in combination with a socket trolley. The e-chain reel is a large drum onto which a 100-metre-long energy chain has been reeled, which guides and protects all the cables required for the shore power supply, such as the CFCRANE motor cables. While the drum is permanently installed at one end of the quay, the socket trolley can travel along the quay for 100 metres until the drum is unwound. Rollers on the underside of the energy chain reduce wear when moving along the quay floor and ensure a long service life for the system. Despite their high mass, the rol e-chains significantly reduce the drive power required compared to sliding chains. The motorised system only needs to be operated by two people, moves quickly to the ship’s mooring point and is protected against electric arcs thanks to a tested socket box.

While the large drum is located at the end of the terminal, only the narrow socket trolley with the energy chain travels along the heavily frequented area of the quay. In this way, the Port of Hamburg was not only able to implement a sustainable and environmentally friendly shore power system at CTT, but also provide a space-saving, flexible and efficient solution for the daily handling of goods.