Marseille Port launches shore‑power for cruise ships and renews three‑year partnership with Beirut

The French Ministry of Transport inaugurated a shore‑power system at the Marseille‑Fos port on 11 April, allowing three cruise ships to connect to the electrical grid while docked. Each vessel can receive up to 16 MW, roughly the electricity consumption of a town of 13,000 residents, enabling the ships to shut down their engines and cut emissions while in port.

At the same time, Marseille‑Fos and the Port of Beirut signed a renewed three‑year memorandum of understanding in the presence of French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot and Lebanese counterpart Fayez Rasamny. The agreement builds on cooperation that began after the 2020 Beirut port explosion and focuses on commercial development, technical innovation, digitalisation and the decarbonisation of port operations, aiming to strengthen trade links between the eastern Mediterranean and Europe.