First cruise liners plug into national power grid

The cruise ship Viking Saturn is among the first to use the newly installed ship-to-shore connection with Malta’s national grid.

A second cruise ship, Viking Venus, berthed in Grand Harbour on Saturday evening and plugged into the new installation.

The fact that ships can now shut down their engines while in harbour means an environmental saving of over 90% on air pollution.

Malta is one of the first in the Mediterranean to introduce a shore-based electricity system for passenger ships.