The European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program is providing a €5 million ($5.8 million) grant to an international consortium led by Stillstrom, a Maersk company, to develop and demonstrate offshore charging infrastructure for stationary vessels at anchor. The three-year project, dubbed SPARK, is scheduled to kick off in June 2026 and will assess commercial viability and regulatory pathways for wider adoption of offshore power zones.

Stillstrom estimates that more than 6,500 vessels are idle at roughly 200 anchorages worldwide at any given time, collectively emitting over 30 million tons of greenhouse gases and associated air pollutants. The pilot will create an offshore power zone outside Skagen, Denmark — one of the busiest anchorages in Northern Europe — where vessels will plug into an at-sea power point fed by electricity from the nearby Port of Skagen. The initial trial will support a single ship connection to prove the concept in a live operational environment.

Stillstrom will lead the SPARK project alongside partners Aalborg University, DNV, Maersk, MARIN, Port of Malta, Port of Skagen, and University College London.

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