High voltage ship-to-shore connection for electric power supply support in landing operations: An analysis

The increasingly presence of HVSC connection onboard ships opens the path for innovative applications, such as ship-to-shore connection. Indeed, it is possible to supply power to land during emergency (mainly to deployed camps/bases), thanks to the electric power generation capabilities of modern all electric ships. However, the use of the same system to provide both the HVSC and ship-to-shore connection functions require a careful assessment of the equipment to be installed both onboard and on land. To achieve that, ship-to-shore connection requires a shore side mobile substation, containing all the necessary equipment for the land power distribution, and a ship side substation, either implemented in shipboard power system or installable at need. To successfully implement such a system, an appropriate design of protection systems is required, assuring proper protection to equipment and people. Moreover, the capability of the ship-to-shore connection to supply an existing land power system implies a high rate of adaptability, and a careful assessment of the land power system´s grounding and protections. The development of such technology will be relevant for military applications, but civilian application is possible and foreseen in future (dual-use technology). In this paper, an analysis of possible ship-to-shore connection configurations is made, together with considerations about protection of both the connection equipment and the supplied land power systems.