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.