Ambassador Cruise Line’s ship Ambience was the first to visit Port Stockholm's new quay F655 on May 20th, 2022. The official inauguration took place on June 21st with Oceania Cruises’ ship Marina alongside.
The new 330-metre quay at Frihamnen is in the heart of the city and will allow more capacity for turnarounds. The ample space will facilitate arrivals/departures for buses/taxis at the quayside.
According to Stefan Scheja, manager cruise and ferry Ports of Stockholm, during 2022 they had 16 calls to the quay and for 2023 had 14 calls booked at F655, less than expected, but an effect of the war.
Indeed calls generally are down in the port of Stockholm this year and last. Before the war in Ukraine, there were 300+ calls booked for 2022 but the resulting number was 205. However, a lot of companies chose to stay extra nights in 2022. For example, there were a total of 87 overnight calls, 10 calls for 2 nights, and 5 for 3/more.
The port is expected to be one of the first in the Baltic to supply shore power when it goes live at quay S167 in Stadsgarden in July/August 2023. A 2nd facility at S160 is due to be ready for the 2024 season.
The total investment is SEK 120M (EUR 10.6M), of which ~40% is being covered by subsidies from the European Union and The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
Scheja said they hoped "to start testing connections in the summer and after that have ships connecting on a regular basis." Despite the tough times of the COVID crisis and now the war in Ukraine, that was a top priority for ports. The EU’s Fit for 55 also meant they, along with 5 to 6 other ports in the Baltic, were applying for further funding. (From January 2030, ships staying for 2+ hours in a port will have to connect to OPS, unless they use another zero-emission technology.)
“I think it is very important to provide a good product in a sustainable way. We are very proud of what we are doing here in Stockholm. Everyone is eager to connect and I think most of the cruiselines will do so, which is a good advertisement for their customers, for the industry generally and for the company, for sure, to spread the message.”
He added he hoped that the energy crisis would improve so that the prices for connecting to 100% fossil-free power whilst in port would be more comparable to the fossil fuels being burnt onboard.