Tallink Megastar ferry switches to shore power for emission-free port stays

Technology company ABB has been selected by Estonian shipping company Tallink Grupp to provide a shore connection solution for shuttle vessel Megastar.

From now on, the ferry will be able to plug into the local grid for quiet and emission-free overnight layovers in the Port of Tallinn.

Fueled by low-emission liquefied natural gas (LNG), passenger and car ferry Megastar makes three return journeys between the Estonian and Finnish capitals per day, with an overnight stay in Tallinn where it needs to keep generators running to ensure energy availability for onboard systems. With ABB’s shore connection solution, the vessel will be able to cover its energy needs in port by drawing on land-based power.

With commissioning due to take place in January 2022 while the ferry is in operation, Megastar will become the second vessel in the Tallink fleet to feature ABB’s shore connection solution.

The second vessel MyStar, currently under construction in Rauma Marine Constructions shipyard in Rauma, Finland, will have the technology pre-fitted upon its delivery in 2022.

Both ferries will leverage the ABB shore power systems installed at the Old City Harbor, Port of Tallinn in 2020. Designed in compliance with international regulations, the plug-in solution automates the ship-to-shore connection process.

Last year, the shore power solution was inaugurated in Tallinn Old City Harbour when Tallink Grupp’s vessel Victoria I was connected to shore power for the first-ever such charging in Estonia.

“We are delighted to continue driving environmentally-friendly ferry operations across our fleet,” Captain Tarvi-Carlos Tuulik, Head of Ship Management at Tallink Grupp, said.

“From next year, both shuttle ferry Megastar and our newbuilding MyStar – the most environmentally friendly vessel on the Baltic Sea  –  will be able to leverage the ABB shoreside infrastructure that already exists at the Port of Tallinn’s Old City Harbour, to cut down harbor emissions and noise during overnight stays.”

“This is another important step for Tallink Grupp towards achieving greener energy use and eco-friendliness for our shipping operations close to city centers, and it will make a big difference to local community in terms of minimizing noise and air pollution,” Tuulik pointed out.

“Our shore connection solutions comprise onboard and shoreside infrastructure and will allow Tallink to reduce the overall impact of its operations and contribute towards a cleaner port environment in a historical part of Tallinn,” Jyri Jusslin, Head of Service, ABB Marine & Ports, commented.

Delivered by the Finnish shipyard Meyer Turku in 2017, Megastar carries up to 2,800 passengers and 646 cars at a time.

ABB’s scope of supply for the retrofit includes switchboard, shore connection cabinet and a shore connection control board with three separate ship-to-shore communication links to safeguard against loss of connection. Megastar also features ABB’s propulsion motors, medium voltage generators and thruster motors.