Regulatory update

Shore Power and Cold Ironing (Onshore Power Supply)

Preparing a shore-power port call: AFIR and FuelEU duties, timelines, ship–shore compatibility and the evidence to retain.

shore powercold ironingOPSAFIRFuelEU Maritime

Operational explanation

Shore power, or OPS (Onshore Power Supply), supplies a ship’s electrical services from shore while the ship is at berth. It reduces reliance on onboard generators and their local emissions. The overall climate benefit also depends on electricity production: lower emissions in port do not automatically mean zero emissions across the entire life cycle.

AFIR addresses port infrastructure deployment; FuelEU addresses connection and use by the ships concerned. A shore connection at a port does not, by itself, establish availability, compatibility or a legal duty for a particular call.

References and sources

Targeted revision of 15 September 2026: clarified the competent authority and extended-stay handling; added the FuelEU database reference (Regulation 2026/394). Electrical procedures depend on the approved installation and applicable instructions.

Scope and timelines

FuelEU Article 2 covers ships above 5,000 GT carrying passengers or cargo commercially, irrespective of flag, subject to the Regulation’s exclusions and conditions. The Article 6 OPS duty is limited to containerships and passenger ships, including ro-pax vessels. Exactly 5,000 GT does not exceed the threshold; a cargo ro-ro does not become a passenger ship merely because it carries vehicles.

Scope and timelines
Date / scope	Requirement
Position on 15 September 2026	FuelEU has applied generally since 1 January 2025, but the OPS deadlines below are later. Local rules, terminal conditions and company procedures must still be checked.
By 31 December 2029 — AFIR	Relevant TEN-T core and comprehensive maritime ports must provide infrastructure covering at least 90% of calls by the categories concerned. Annual calls averaged over the preceding three years must exceed 100 for containerships, 40 for ro-ro passenger ships and high-speed passenger craft, or 25 for other passenger ships; the ships counted are above 5,000 GT. Apply the counting exclusions and conditions in Article 9(2)–(3).
From 1 January 2030 — FuelEU Article 6(1)	At ports of call under a Member State’s jurisdiction covered by AFIR Article 9, the ships concerned must connect to and use OPS for their entire electrical power demand while moored at the quayside, unless an applicable exception applies.
2030–2034 — Article 6(3)	A Member State may extend the duty to other ports or parts of ports through the prescribed notification and publication process. Do not assume an extension has been adopted for a particular port.
From 1 January 2035 — Article 6(2)	The duty extends to other ports of call under a Member State’s jurisdiction where the quay has available OPS.

Distinguish anchorage from mooring at the quayside: Article 6(11) permits specific national extensions. AFIR conditions for islands and territories without grid connections also require a specific assessment; they are not a blanket exemption for ferries or island ports.

“Containership” follows Article 3(31): a ship designed exclusively to carry containers in holds and on deck. A general cargo ship also carrying containers is not automatically in that category (Commission FAQ 6.2).

Exceptions: identifying the precise ground

Exceptions: identifying the precise ground
Provision	Ground	Conditions to check
6(5)(a)	Stay shorter than two hours	Actual duration based on recorded arrival and departure times. Exactly two hours is not less than two hours.
6(5)(b)	Zero-emission technology	It must meet Annex III and applicable acts and supply the entire electrical demand at the quayside. Having batteries onboard does not alone demonstrate that this condition is met.
6(5)(c)	Unscheduled safety or rescue call	Unforeseen circumstances beyond the ship’s control, not systematic, other than stops already excluded from the definition of port of call.
6(5)(d)	OPS connection points unavailable	Document the unavailability and exchanges with the port; an internal company assessment alone is insufficient.
6(5)(e)	Exceptional risk to grid stability	Insufficient shore power for the ship’s demand placing grid stability at risk; this is not a general exception for any power limitation.
6(5)(f)	Ship–shore incompatibility	The onboard installation must be certified against AFIR Annex II shore-connection specifications. A shipboard defect or missing installation does not automatically qualify.
6(5)(g)	Emergency or force majeure	Onboard generation for a limited necessary period because of immediate risk to life, the ship or the environment, or force majeure.
6(5)(h)	Maintenance or functional tests	Only for the strictly necessary time while remaining connected to OPS; the functional tests described by the provision are requested by the competent authority or recognised organisation during a survey or inspection.

The competent authority of the Member State of the port of call or a duly authorised entity determines and records the exception in the FuelEU database under Article 6(9). From 2035, at ports covered by AFIR Article 9, exceptions (d), (e) and (f) are limited to the lower of 10% of the ship’s annual calls, rounded upwards, and 10 calls. Article 6(10) excludes a call from that count if the company demonstrates, using the advance information exchange, that it could not reasonably have known that connection would be impossible.

Preparing and managing the port call

Identify the ship, GT, service type, port, quay, date and expected duration. Distinguish FuelEU applicability from AFIR infrastructure coverage and local rules.
Confirm actual availability with the terminal and provide advance notice of intended OPS or zero-emission technology use and expected power demand under Article 6(8) and applicable arrangements.
Have technical personnel check compatibility, power, voltage, frequency, connections, protections and installation documentation. Use the current specifications referenced by AFIR Annex II, applicable flag/class requirements and manufacturer instructions.
Agree ship–shore responsibilities, communications, risk assessment, authorised personnel and emergency arrangements. Connection, load transfer and disconnection follow the installation’s approved procedure, not a generic electrical switching sequence.
Monitor load, supply and anomalies during the stay. Record actual times and energy received; if an extension beyond two hours becomes apparent, promptly reassess the short-stay exception and request an OPS connection if no other exception applies.
On departure retain readings, supplier documents, communications and reasons for interruptions. For an exception, assemble evidence for the precise ground and follow the competent authority’s process; a logbook entry alone does not replace that process.

Article 6(8) advance notification goes to the competent authority of the Member State of the port of call or its duly authorised entity; a technical agreement with the terminal alone does not replace it. AFIR consolidated on 8 January 2026, Annex II §§5.1–5.2, references IEC/IEEE 80005-1:2019/AMD1:2022 for high voltage and IEC 62613-1:2019 for plugs, socket-outlets and ship couplers: check the reference applicable to the installation without extending these specifications indiscriminately to every OPS system.

Practical examples

Ro-pax call in 2030 — hypothetical example

A 30,000 GT ship spends four hours at an AFIR-covered EU port with available, compatible OPS. Without an applicable exception, OPS must meet the entire electrical demand at the quayside. Confirm power and availability before arrival; retain times and energy records afterwards.

Planned 90-minute stay becomes 135 minutes

The initial estimate does not preserve the under-two-hour exception. When an extension beyond two hours becomes apparent, request an OPS connection if no other exception applies, coordinate with the port and record the facts. Delay alone does not create another exception (Commission Q&A, point 6.5).

Terminal reports incompatibility

Check onboard certification and describe the actual incompatibility. Submit evidence for the authority’s determination under 6(9); do not self-certify a general technical impossibility.

Common mistakes

Common mistakes
Mistake	How to avoid it
Conflating AFIR and FuelEU	Separate infrastructure duties, ship duties and availability at the individual quay.
Treating 90% as permission to skip 10% of connections	The 90% is an AFIR infrastructure target, not an operational allowance for a ship.
Citing 6(3) for batteries	Use 6(5)(b), Annex III and applicable acts; check coverage of the entire electrical demand.
Confusing kW with kWh	Record required power and actual energy received separately.
Treating a high tariff as an exception	Economic convenience is not among the grounds in 6(5).

Verification and responsibilities

The company organises monitoring and documentation; the competent authority of the Member State of the port of call or a duly authorised entity determines exceptions, consulting the port’s managing body where appropriate; the FuelEU verifier checks data and supporting evidence. Document-of-compliance checks and any PSC examination follow the applicable provisions: this page does not establish a universal inspection checklist. Keep the monitoring plan, OPS data, relevant records, installation certification and shipboard procedures available (FuelEU Articles 8, 15, 16 and 24–25; Implementing Regulations 2024/2027 and 2026/394).

Operational tips

Maintain an interface sheet for each ship–quay pairing and update it after modifications or new trials, recording who confirmed the information and when.
Estimate demand across the stages of the call: hotel services, ventilation and handling operations may change the load. Use the ship’s actual data.
Agree ship–shore contacts and a loss-of-supply plan. Retain personnel familiarisation records and keep instructions accessible at the workplace.
Keep the advance request, port confirmation, times, measurements and interruptions together to support technical review and data verification.
Distinguish voluntary use before EU deadlines from a duty applicable to the call: voluntary use also requires compatibility and safe procedures.

Preparation checklist

Ship, GT, date, port and quay identified.
Applicability and local rules checked.
Availability, power and compatibility confirmed.
Procedure, personnel and communications ready.
Times and energy can be recorded and reconciled.
Any exception supported by its precise legal ground.
Evidence and submission responsibilities defined.

Frequently asked questions

Are OPS and cold ironing the same thing?

Here they refer to supplying a ship with shore electricity during its stay. They do not alone specify a voltage or installation configuration.

Is EU connection mandatory in 2026?

Article 6(1)–(2) deadlines are 2030 and 2035. FuelEU’s general application from 2025 does not bring them forward; check local rules and terminal conditions separately.

Does exactly 5,000 GT qualify?

Not under the above-5,000-GT threshold considered here. Other provisions may still impose requirements.

Must every ship above 5,000 GT use OPS?

Article 6 concerns containerships and passenger ships within FuelEU’s scope, not every ship type indiscriminately.

Is an LNG ferry exempt?

LNG propulsion is not in itself a zero-emission technology or an exception to the OPS duty.

Can batteries replace OPS?

Only if they meet the applicable zero-emission technology requirements and supply the entire electrical demand at the quayside: see 6(5)(b) and Annex III.

Is a note saying the connection was unavailable enough?

It is evidence, but the competent authority or authorised entity determines and records the exception under 6(9).

Can generators be tested while connected?

Article 6(5)(h) has specific conditions, requires continued OPS connection and limits the duration to what is strictly necessary. It does not authorise unrestricted testing or routine generator operation.

Does a ten-exception limit always apply?

No. From 2035, at AFIR ports, it concerns only (d), (e), (f), using the lower of ten and 10% rounded upwards and the exclusion-from-count rule in 6(10).

Does a route to a non-EU country remove the EU-port duty?

No: a non-EU origin or destination does not itself remove a duty applicable to the EU port stay. Accounting for voyage energy is a separate matter.