The German seaport will invest in expanding its truck pre-storage area, upgrading its marshalling yard and putting in place a third switching track, as well as in providing onshore power supply.

First, at the expense of €7.0m, the port will completely re-design the entrance to the Ostuferhafen terminal. The works will include the demolition of the sheds nos. 34 to 36, soil remediation, underground and road construction works, as well as the new lightening for the 2.8 ha-big truck and car pre-storage area that will be created. The works are kicking off this summer and will end in spring 2019.

"This project benefits both the DFDS shipping company as well as the SCA and Iggesund Paperboard forest product business," Dirk Claus, Managing Director, the Port of Kiel, commented in this regard.

Second, the Kiel- Meimersdorf marshalling yard will be upgraded in order to accommodate 740 m-long trains. The entrance area of Kiel's Schwedenkai will be equipped with a third switching track, too. This €1.25m-worth project is expected to be completed by end-2019.

Claus said about this initiative, "As per Port of Kiel's Blue Port concept we aim to shift as many of our hinterland-transports as possible from road to rail. To accommodate for this we need to expand the rail infrastructure. Color Line's new freight line will offer the possibility to implement additional direct hinterland-train connections from Kiel. This will positively benefit all of port of Kiel's terminals as well as all scheduled ferry services."

Lastly, the Port of Kiel wants to supply two of Color Line's vessels with cold ironing at the Norwegenkai terminal. The necessary infrastructure is estimated to cost over €1.0m.

"The onshore power supply plant at Kiel's Norwegenkai terminal will be the pilot plant for onshore power at the port of Kiel. Over the course of the following years we then aim to also build a combined onshore power supply plant for the cruise terminal Ostseekai as well as Kiel's Schwedenkai terminal," Claus explained.

Additionally, To reduce the high costs of purchasing electrical power in Germany, the port campaigns for an exemption of onshore power from the Renewable Energy Sources Act-levy (EEG-levy).

Claus underlined in this context, "The exemption of onshore power from the EEG-levy will generate an economic incentive for ships to take onshore power which will further reduce the air pollution emissions of the ships during their time at berth."

Photo: Tom Koerber/Port of Kiel