The deal is part of Nidec ASI's €12m-big investment to electrify five cruise berths in the Maltese port.

The investment is, in turn, part of an EU funded initiative by Infrastructure Malta to electrify the entire harbour and reduce harmful portside ship emissions by 90%.

Cavotec will provide a solution that will connect the cruise ships over the entire quay wall. It'll include the mobile cable management system PowerMove, connected to the island's energy infrastructure.

Four of the PowerMove units will travel 45m across the berths from the shore socket box to the vessel connection point. The fifth will span more than 55m to meet the port's Deep Water Quay requirements.

The machinery's remote-controlled telescopic arm will adjust to match the tide changes and the location of the power connections on the cruise ships.

Cavotec's solution works with different standards: 6.6kV or 11Kv, 50Hz or 60Hz.

"Our ShorePower technology provides the perfect clean air alternative needed for historic ports such as Valletta. With almost a million ship-bound tourists arriving every year, it is vital that the city can provide an environment they can enjoy," Mikael Norin, CEO, Cavotec, said.

He also underlined, "ShorePower provide clean energy to cruise liners within minutes of their arrival. This deployment could be the blueprint for many historic port cities around Europe. Cities such as Venice, Lisbon, and Malta all rely on a large proportion of sea-borne tourism traffic. We hope this contract will be the first of many as it proves how effective our ShorePower solutions can be."

Photo: Cavotec