By
Laura Hyde |
AIDA Cruises’ vessel AIDAnova has become the first cruise ship to connect to a new shore power system at the Oceankaj Cruise Terminal at Copenhagen Malmö Port in Denmark.
King Frederik X of Denmark inaugurated the new system at a ceremony at the port on 2 June 2025. Also in attendance were Dan Jørgensen, Denmark’s European Union (EU) commissioner for energy and housing; Thomas Danielsen, Danish minister of transport; and Felix Eichhorn, president of AIDA Cruises.
“The inauguration of the shore power plant in Copenhagen is an important step towards the further implementation of the maritime energy transition in northern Europe,” said Eichhorn. “Our Danish partners and AIDA are united by their consistent will to drive forward the expansion and use of the shore power infrastructure in the ports. We have once again proven that we stand by our word, which we gave to our partners at Cruise Baltic here in Copenhagen 2022. With our investments in the use of this pioneering technology, we are actively supporting the EU’s goals of building shore power infrastructure in all major EU ports by 2030.”
King Frederik X of Denmark with Felix Eichhorn, president of AIDA Cruises
As a pilot partner, AIDA Cruises was closely involved in the technical preparations for the new system in Copenhagen and provided AIDAnova for the necessary tests. The cruise line’s ships already connect to 13 shore power systems at ports across Europe, including Hamburg, Kiel and Warnemünde in Germany; Oslo in Norway; Southampton in the UK; Rotterdam in the Netherlands; and Stockholm in Sweden. The new Copenhagen facility brings the number of ports AIDA ships can use shore power at to 14 in seven countries. In 2024, AIDA Cruises used shore power for 360 port calls; for 2025, the cruise line has more than 500 connections with shore power planned. With 73 calls by five AIDA Cruises’ ships scheduled for 2025, Copenhagen is one of the most important cruise ports in Northern Europe for the German cruise line.
“The inauguration of the shore power system for cruise ships in Copenhagen is a proud moment for the Copenhagen Malmö Port and an important milestone in the sector's transition to environmentally friendly technologies,” said Scheel Agersnap, CEO of the Copenhagen Malmö Port. “We are excited to commission this facility and provide clean energy to shipping companies like AIDA Cruises while they are at berth. This initiative is fully in line with our overall sustainability strategy, which includes operating the terminal without fossil fuels and the goal of achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2025. Together with our partners, we are committed to a more sustainable future for the maritime industry.”
AIDA Cruises’ AIDAnova became the first cruise ship to connect to the new shore power facility