H2 Shore Power:
A Feasibility Study at Rotterdam Shortsea Terminals
Shortsea terminals face a two-fold OPS problem: the same infrastructure requirements as the rest of maritime shipping, but against far lower power demand — and a grid that often cannot support new connections anyway. Together with Rotterdam Shortsea Terminals, Mana Engineering is investigating whether a containerized Hâ‚‚ fuel cell system can address both at once, building the operational understanding and business case needed for a pilot at Europe's largest shortsea terminal.
Green Hybrid Shore Power
Exploring hydrogen as a hybrid shore power solution under grid congestion
Onshore Power Supply (OPS) — providing electricity to vessels while at berth — is one of the most direct ways to reduce emissions from ships in port.
The obstacle is not technology. It is grid capacity.
In the Netherlands, grid congestion is already a binding constraint on OPS expansion, and upgrades are years away.
For shortsea terminals, the challenge is two-fold. OPS regulations were developed for the maritime sector as a whole, meaning the same infrastructure requirements apply regardless of vessel size.
Shortsea vessels sit at the low end of the power demand range compared to ocean-going ships. The result is a disproportionate CAPEX burden relative to the energy a terminal can realistically sell — making a viable business case difficult to build even before the grid is taken into account. And the grid only compounds the problem: even where investment is justified, the capacity for a new OPS connection often does not exist. It is a challenge that has been underrepresented in policy.
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We are starting a project with Rotterdam Shortsea Terminals (RST), the largest shortsea terminal in Europe, to investigate whether hydrogen can address both problems at once. The study asks a specific question: can a containerized hydrogen fuel cell system serve as a hybrid shore power solution at a major terminal, providing competitive OPS without depending on grid expansion — and with a business case that actually works for shortsea operations?
Mana Engineering brings its own integrated, containerized Hâ‚‚ fuel cell design to this project — developed in-house and designed from the outset to be adaptable for applications like this. The study will assess both the operational fit and the business case, because a technically sound solution only matters if the economics work.
On 20 June, we made our first visit to the RST terminal to begin building that operational understanding from the ground up.
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Our goal is to work toward a pilot installation — proof of our concept at a leading terminal, demonstrating that grid-independent shore power is both technically feasible and commercially viable.
This project is made possible by the Smart Energy Systems (SES) subsidy program from the Municipality of Rotterdam, and we are grateful for their support in enabling us to move this work forward.
We will share updates as the project develops. If you are interested in what we are building, want to follow our progress, or have relevant expertise or ideas to contribute, we would be glad to hear from you.