The cruise season is well underway in the western capital. When MS “Viking Venus” docked on Tuesday last week, the starting shot went for a cruise year that can break several records – both in terms of the number of tourists and in reduced emissions. For this year, the port of Bergen expects that around half of all cruise ships that arrive will stop their polluting engines while they are in the harbor and will rather connect to power from shore. That’s about twice as many as last year. – The development has gone faster than I expected. It is very clear that the shipping association is now investing in land currents, and the passengers also want more environmentally friendly ships, says market manager Nils Møllerup at the Port of Bergen. This is what it looks like, the shore power plant that the cruise ship connects to. Photo: Agnieszka Iwanska / news / Agnieszka Iwanska Need a lot of power Cruise ships are big power consumers. With several thousand people on board, they use as much electricity as a medium-sized Norwegian municipality. And with national electricity, they get clean energy on board. The Port of Bergen now gives a discount in the port fee to ships that use land current. In two years’ time, they require that all cruise ships that come to the city must connect to the shore power system. For now, they are well placed to achieve the goal. – The infrastructure is in place and I have enough electricity. Bookings for 2026 are now open, and so far things look very positive, says Møllerup. Bergen is the country’s largest cruise ship port, measured in the number of visiting ships. This year they are expecting over 320 calls with a record number of 688,000 cruise tourists. To prevent the Bryggen, the fish market and other well-known attractions from being overrun with tourists, the city has introduced a limit of a maximum of four cruise ships and 8,000 passengers per day. day. This is what the port of Bergen does not want to see, cruise ships polluting at the quay. Photo: Atle Markeng Better city air But the city between the seven mountains also has an air pollution problem, for which shipping traffic has had its share of the blame. This has led to Bergen now being an international leader in reducing emissions from cruise ships. – Verda’s cruise ship fleet consists of around 330 ships. Every year, a quarter of these come to Bergen, something that has given us a position to be able to make demands. The port of Bergen receives both inquiries and visits from international ports who want to learn, says Møllerup. In 2026, all cruise ships coming to Bergen must use land traffic. Photo: Agnieszka Iwanska / news / Agnieszka Iwanska Controversial tourist industry Cruise tourism is controversial with large climate emissions, both from the ship itself and air transport of passengers. Environmental management is therefore usually very critical. But the onshore power investment in Bergen gives them credit: – The fact that regulations have been put in place for discharges, and that the capacity is so good in Bergen, makes me happy, says Tom Skauge, who is the head of the Nature Conservation Association Hordaland. He nevertheless believes that both Bergen municipality and other governing bodies must come up with stricter rules to reduce cruise traffic. – It is essential if we are really going to care about climate emissions, says Skauge.
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More than half of all cruise ships that come to Bergen connect to landstraum – news Vestland
