EU Backs Offshore Vessel Charging Pilot in Denmark

A consortium led by Stillstrom by Maersk has secured $5.8 million (€5 million) in funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe program to develop and test offshore charging infrastructure for vessels at anchor in Denmark.

The three-year SPARK project will deploy a pilot Offshore Power Zone in Skagen, one of Northern Europe’s busiest anchorage hubs, targeting greenhouse gas emissions from ships running engines while stationary between operations.

Stillstrom said the consortium includes Aalborg University, DNV, Maersk, MARIN, Port of Malta, Port of Skagen and University College London.

The pilot project will initially support a single vessel connection using electricity supplied from the nearby Port of Skagen, with the consortium aiming to use the results to support wider global deployment of offshore charging systems.

“Near shore idling vessels represent a significant and often overlooked source of