SPIES has completed its policy advisory plan for the roll-out of shore-based power facilities for inland and coastal shipping in the North Sea region.
For 18 months, the SPIES partners worked intensively together on a substantiated recommendation plan that supports governments, ports and other parties involved in accelerating shore-based power development.
Central input for this plan was obtained through a broad survey of relevant stakeholders and players within the shore-based power domain. Their insights and experiences formed the basis for in-depth working group discussions, expert meetings and interviews.
The result is a policy-oriented document that offers concrete tools for a coordinated and future-proof shore-based power strategy in the North Sea region.
The following clusters were demarcated:
- Raise awareness of AFIR obligations
- Adjust AFIR obligations with minimum length of stay.
- Establish an independent European body for standardisation and management
- Develop clear standards, especially for smaller marine vessels, with modern safety technologies
- Expand and standardize payment options with apps and QR codes.
- Invest in infrastructure tailored to ship type, length of stay and port situation, with smart grid solutions.
- Ensure reliability through EU-wide Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
- Ensure full interoperability so that every ship can connect anywhere.
- Show real-time info about availability and malfunctions on navigation maps and platforms.
- Protect data with uniform models, secure APIs and security by design.
- Introduce EU-wide tax exemptions and develop transparent pricing models.
- Drive innovation with integration into broader charging concepts, battery storage and mobile shore power solutions.
- Start targeted campaigns against prejudice and raise awareness of energy consumption.
- Offer priority and accessible financial support, including simplified AFIF schemes.
- Promote collaboration with a central, GDPR-compliant ship register for secure data access.
Interested in our policy advisory report? You can download the report here. http://www.interregnorthsea.eu/sites/default/files/2025-06/Policy recommendation plan SPIES_EN_0.pdf