Shore Power & AMP Retrofit Services
Engineered to IEC/IEEE/ISO 80005-1, sized to your real berth load and delivered inside your dock window. Shore power is our flagship specialization — and OOCL Montreal is the proof.
More than a cable and a socket.
Shore power — Alternative Maritime Power (AMP), onshore power supply (OPS) or cold ironing, depending on who is speaking — lets a vessel stop her auxiliary engines at berth and take electricity from the quay. On the vessel side that means a high-voltage shore connection, a transformer sized to the berth load, a cable management system, and protection, earthing and interlocking that meet IEC/IEEE/ISO 80005-1.
It is a retrofit of the vessel's electrical system, not a cable and a socket. We start from the vessel's switchboard and her real at-berth load, and design the conversion against those rather than against a template. Our guide to what an AMP retrofit involves goes into the scope in more depth.
What we deliver
From the first survey to a vessel that can plug in.
Survey and load measurement
The existing switchboard, the space available and the real at-berth load, measured before anything is specified.
HV shore connection
The high-voltage shore connection arrangement, designed to IEC/IEEE/ISO 80005-1.
Transformer and frequency conversion
A transformer sized to the berth load, and frequency conversion where vessel and grid differ — on board or ashore.
Cable management system
Cable handling that suits the berths the vessel actually calls at.
Protection, earthing and interlocking
The safety chain that lets the vessel connect and disconnect without risk to people or equipment.
Drawings and documentation
Design drawings and documentation prepared for review by the vessel's class society.
Installation
Installation inside the dock window, sequenced with the rest of the yard's work on the vessel.
Testing and commissioning
Function and insulation tests and commissioning, so the vessel leaves able to plug in.
One system, several names
The terms are used interchangeably; the engineering behind them is the same.
- AMP — Alternative Maritime Power
- OPS — onshore power supply
- Cold ironing
- HVSC — high-voltage shore connection (IEC/IEEE/ISO 80005-1)
- LVSC — low-voltage shore connection (IEC/IEEE 80005-3)
Each vessel type, its own problem
The connection is standard; the engineering problem changes with the ship.
- Container ships — reefer load at berth
- Tankers — siting the connection clear of hazardous areas
- Bulk carriers and general cargo — long berth stays and cargo gear
OOCL Montreal: AMP at Sefine Shipyard
In 2026 Orion Marine delivered the AMP and marine-electrical scope on the 4,402 TEU container ship OOCL Montreal, during a combined yard period at Sefine Shipyard. The work ran to the yard's dock schedule, and the vessel left commissioned — able to shut down her auxiliary engines wherever a quay offers the connection.
Read the case studyFrom survey to plug-in
The schedule is planned backwards from the dock date.
- 01
Survey
Survey and load measurement
The switchboard, the available space and the at-berth load are surveyed on board.
- 02
Engineer
Engineering and documentation
The connection is designed to 80005-1, drawings go for class review, and long-lead items are ordered against the dock date.
- 03
Deliver
Installation and commissioning
The system is installed in the dock window, tested and commissioned, ready to connect.
Further reading on shore power
- Retrofit & ModernizationShip electrical retrofits: obsolete component replacement, switchboard, distribution and control upgrades, motors and drives, and shore power integration.
- Marine Electrical ServicesMarine electrical installation, retrofit, repair and shore power work on vessels — in shipyards, ports, on board and offshore, from a Turkey-based team.
Questions about shore power
- What is the difference between AMP, OPS and cold ironing?
- They are names for the same thing: supplying a vessel at berth from the shore grid, so that her auxiliary engines can be stopped. AMP is common in container shipping, OPS is the term used in EU regulation, and cold ironing is the older, informal name.
- Which standard applies to a shore connection?
- High-voltage shore connections are covered by IEC/IEEE/ISO 80005-1, and low-voltage connections by IEC/IEEE 80005-3.
- When do vessels need shore power?
- In the EU, FuelEU Maritime and AFIR require container and passenger ships to connect at berth in core ports from 2030, and other regions have their own rules. Our guide to the 2030 deadlines explains who is affected.
- How long does a shore power retrofit take?
- It depends on the vessel and on what can be prepared before the docking. Long-lead items such as transformers have to be ordered against the dock date, so we plan the schedule backwards from it during scoping.
Ready to plug in at berth?
Send us the vessel and the dock window you're working towards. We'll scope the conversion against her real berth load.