|
GreenPort 2010
The cold weather that greeted delegates in Stockholm on 23 February 2010 was in marked contrast to the warmth of the greeting from the City and Ports of Stockholm. Our welcome in the Stockholm City Hall was memorable. Patrick Hicks, GreenPort 2010 Conference Director, opened the event on 24 February, asking delegates to take the opportunity to examine issues together and share expertise.
Ulla Hamilton, Ports of Stockholm Chairman and Stockholm’s Deputy Mayor opened the conference. As Europe’s first Green Capital, it was fitting that Stockholm should host the event. Henrik Widerstahl, Ports of Stockholm CEO, stressed the importance of collective solutions to create clean and sustainable shipping. An overview of the conference proceedings is given below. Keynote speakers Benny Guttman, Volvo Logistics SVP, opened his presentation with a reminder that ‘Good planets are hard to find!” As transport costs and CO2 considerations rise in customers concerns, Volvo Logistics has an ambitious target to reduce CO2 from road transport by 50% by 2020. Networking and collaboration to develop and deliver smart solutions are key ingredients and ports must play a vital part in this.
Combating Climate Change Combating climate change is one of the port sector’s biggest challenges. The session’s speakers agreed that collaboration between stakeholders is key to making progress. Fer van der Laar provided an update from the World Ports Climate Initiative (www.wpci.nl). Tony Mason from the International Chamber of Shipping and Carl Carlsson from the Swedish Ship Owners Association emphasised the urgency of global regulation on shipping’s CO2 emissions and on ongoing initiatives such as energy efficiency. Quayside Onshore Power Supply can be an option. Susann Dutt (Port of Gothenberg) launched the WPCI OPS website (www.onshorepowersupply.org).
Henrik Kristensen, Head of CSR at APM Terminals shared their progress in carbon management and developing co-operation between Terminal Operators in the TOCOFO carbon footprinting group. Green Initiatives – Port Authorities Organisational responsibility for sustainability and an environmental management system are an important starting point. The ESPO PPRISM project (Antonis Michail) to develop sustainability indicators may support future benchmarking. Ports must address their own operations. Energy efficiency initiatives and improving greater efficiency and effectiveness through ‘The Nautical Chain’ (Capt. Ben van Scherpenzeel) are examples.
Ports are also “enablers” for others. These include supporting the development of sustainable land and seaward access and multi-modal options to and from the port. Incentive instruments are valuable in shaping behaviour such as port due structures for waste and fuel use; and participation in schemes such as the Green Ship Award (Jan Fransen) and the Environmental Ship Index (Fer van der Laar). Port tenants such as Terminal Operators can be influenced through environmental conditions in Lease Agreements (Prof. Theo Notteboom). Developing a Strategic Action Plan with targets agreed by relevant stakeholders can help prioritise goals (Sian John) and keep ‘ducks in a row”. This may include an aim to become Carbon Neutral (Jonathan Shopley). A key message from many of the speakers was the importance of measurement for control and improvement. It’s clear that much is going on! Biodiversity and atura 2000 Resianne Dekker (Port of Rotterdam) stressed the need for greater legal certainty for businesses on when they have “done enough” to comply. Roger Morris (Bright Angel Coastal Consultants) emphasised the importance of a peer review by marine specialists and the danger of a ‘one fits all’ approach to diverse and dynamic coastal systems.
Vasa Museum Inland Ports The Mantova region in Italy (Gabriele Negrini & Dario Aggio) will benefit from construction of new canal sections providing links from the Adriatic ports to Milan. Magdeburg in Germany, (K. H Erhardt) has developed links with Hamburg. They are working with other German hinterland ports to market themselves as a Waterways System. All agreed there can be advantages from being relatively small and flexible in meeting customers changing needs. K.
Innovation in Port Equipment Technology Solutions and Renewable Energy Henrik Kristensen (APM Terminals) chaired an insightful session showcasing the latest technological developments. Presenters included ABB AB Crane Systems, Bromma, Conductix-Wampfler, Gottwald Port Technology, Konecranes Lifttrucks, Siemens, Castrol Oil and Greendoor Logistics. Peter Nymann from the Port of Hanstholm in Denmark also outlined exciting feasibility work to incorporate wave energy into the breakwater of their port extension. With supporting wind energy it could become a zero energy port.
Green Shipping Initiatives Joreon Dagevos (North Sea Federation) introduced the Clean Shipping Concept and Index. CSI helps cargo owners assess the ‘cleanness’ of their transport carriers. Jan Fransen from Green Ship Award (GSA) proposed discussion on collaboration between CSI, GSA and other relevant ‘index’ schemes. The merits of the IMO regulations on fuel sulphur content within the Baltic SECA saw lively debate (AirClim). A level playing field is viewed as key. The European Shipping Council (Alfons Guinier) and European Cruise Council encourage ports to provide appropriate waste reception facilities at the right price to avoid dumping; and in return they will ensure the right level of onboard training. Impending Ballast Water Management regulation was also reviewed (Stelios Kyriacou). ESPO/EcoPorts Environmental Review confirms positive trends in Port The review provides substantive evidence of the sector’s progress towards the key aims of raising awareness, sharing knowledge and implementing Environmental Management Systems. The results confirm the positive trends of port management response options in dealing with their liabilities and responsibilities and in terms of delivering continuous improvement of environmental quality and sustainable development. These have been achieved by organizational initiatives focused on monitoring, cost reduction, risk analysis and environmental reporting. The main results of the survey can be summarised as follows:
The executive summary of the results is available from the ESPO website (www.espo.be)
Presenting the honorary certificate, EcoPorts Board Member and former ESPO Chairman David Whitehead said: “European ports pay tribute and record with grateful thanks their appreciation of Herman’s determination and guidance in delivering effective environmental management through the concept of ‘ports helping ports’”. The EcoPorts concepts and aims, initiated in 1993, have delivered demonstrable success in implementing major policy objectives through the knowledge network and application of practicable tools and methodologies. ESPO recommends that port authorities use these well established tools in their efforts to deliver environmental improvement and sustainable development through effective environmental management programmes. From 1 January 2011 onwards the EcoPorts environmental tools and support services as well as associated R&D activities will be fully integrated within ESPO’s functional structure. This will extend the EcoPorts network to all ESPO members. GreenPort Study Tour They expressed thanks to their Scandinavian and Baltic hosts and looked forward to integrating lessons learnt back home. GreenPort in 2011: GreenPort Congress, Hamburg & GreenPort Logistics, Venice The 2011 GreenPort Congress will take place in Hamburg on 14 & 15 September 2011. It will comprise the main GreenPort 2011 conference, together with GreenPort Cruise and GreenPort Safety. The Port of Hamburg’s CEO Jens Meirs launched this event. Earlier in the year, the port of Venice will host GreenPort Logistics 2011, focusing on the role that ports will play in “greening the logistics chain”. The event, which will be combined with the Energy for GreenPorts event, was launched by the Port of Venice’s Emanuele Zanotto, and will take place on 24 & 25 February 2011. Conference Summary: Charting the Way Ahead Chris Wooldridge rounded off proceedings with a lively discussion between expert panellists and delegates. The importance of prioritising pressing environmental needs was agreed whilst also securing the future economic success of ports. Addressing climate change and a focus on carbon management and energy reduction are critical. Continued collaboration with more transparent co-operation globally was considered essential. One team, shared challenge!
Closing Remarks Nicola Jenkins from the Port of London Authority: "As usual this has been a welcome opportunity to recharge my environmental batteries!" GreenPort Logistics
The first GreenPort Logistics event took place in Stockholm on 23 February 2010, attended by 40 participants from all over Europe. A wide range of interests were represented including shippers, cargo owners, rail operators, policy makers and NGOs. Moderated by Kate Royston*, the day was lively, interactive and enjoyable. Focus was on opportunities to reduce the carbon intensity of the logistics chain and enhance its sustainability.
A short review follows. If you’d like to know more. the presentations are available on the GreenPort website (www.green-port.net) Drivers for developing a Carbon Neutral Logistics Programme In a carbon-constrained world, Robin Martens from Archicom Consultants proposed that new thinking and new models were needed. As energy and environmental costs are factored into logistical services ‘slower’ options are likely to be cheaper and ‘convenience’ charged as a premium service. This has implications for business operations and service design. Jan Prahms from Tutech Innovation GmbH introduced Emissions Trading Systems (ETS). Transport is a major emitter and, so far, indirectly impacted by ETS. By remaining outside ETS schemes Jan argued that Transport was jeopardising its ability to influence the shape of future developments. Improving operational efficiency and co-ordination is fundamental and can make an important contribution to emissions reduction. This was vividly illustrated by Capt Ben van Scherpenzeel from the Port of Rotterdam with a showing of a video from the ‘The Chain’. This has been created by Harbour Masters and others concerned with inefficiencies from poor practice within the Nautical Chain (GPJ Mar’10). Green Supply Chain Management developments Merijn Hougée from the North Sea Federation (NSF) shared evidence of cargo owners drive to integrate these concerns into their decision making processes for selecting transport providers and routes. In Sweden a group of 23 major businesses are supporting the Clean Shipping Index (www.cleanshipping.org). A consortium of Dutch businesses also favours this approach and is considering its use.
Another example is Green Tender presented by Nicolette van der Jagt from the European Shippers Council. Developed by a Mars led consortium the scheme adds environmental performance criteria to their tender and supplier assessment procedures. Richard Kirchner from Sweden’s Green Cargo stressed the importance of working with customers to embed sustainability in service offers. Industries demand for environmental considerations has continued despite the recession.
Karolina Boholm from the Swedish Forest Industries Federation shared the concern of businesses impacted by the North Sea and Baltic SECA. The unintended consequences of the SECA regulations may cause a modal backshift and loss of trade. Great care should be taken when introducing regional changes into a global system. Green Corridors: Update and Progress in Sweden and Europe
Peter Wolters from the European Intermodal Association (www.eia-ngo.com) outlined the complementary Green Lanes and Smart CM (Smart Container Chain Management (www.smart-cm.eu)) projects. The “global logistics industry and customs organisations are working to forge a strong commitment for inter-modal door to door container transport.” The Benefits of an Offset Inclusive Carbon Management Strategy Jonathan Shopley from The Carbon Neutral Company and Jamie Devlin from Greenstone Carbon Management ran an interesting and informative workshop on developing an offset inclusive carbon management strategy for business. Carbon Neutrality is achieved when a business measures its carbon emissions, works internally to reduce them as far as possible and outsources reduction of the rest through purchasing offsets from the ‘carbon market’ to bring overall emissions to zero. A key message was the importance of businesses measuring their emissions, capturing the data in a robust data repository and data reporting engine to meet information requests effectively. Taking action beyond regulation can capture value for business and an offset inclusive strategy may make sense for some. If you would like to know more contact This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .
Hinterland Logistics Connecting sustainably to its hinterland is a major driver for today’s ports. Combating increasing costs of congestion, air pollution and fuel require new approaches at European, National and Port levels. Jan Bergstrand from the Swedish Rail Administration explained how rail has been used to create effective connections to and from important ports and gateways based on the needs of industry. A simple and open system has been developed which takes the railways direct to the port without additional handling.
The Port of Gothenburg has been a key player in driving this concept. Arvid Guthed explained how the market has driven the success of Railport Scandinavia from its proof of service 10 years ago. The system, including regular shuttles, inland centres and extended gateways, is providing benefits for all stakeholders. In the Netherlands there is a need for a similar approach focused on waterways. Herman Journée from EcoPorts Foundation introduced the ‘Optimising Accessibility’ project (www.bereikbaaroverwater.nl). Supported by Public and Private Stakeholders it is working to integrate ‘pockets’ of successful initiatives (e.g. the AMS cranebarge) into a national system. To help inform stakeholders of the merits of such modal shift an interactive scenario planning tool for the Transport sector has been developed by Quintel Consultants with the Port of Amsterdam. The tool was demonstrated by Quintel’s Leon Smulders. Seeing the results of the collaboration around this tool and how differing strategies could combine to deliver lower carbon and cost approaches was a fitting end to the day. Conclusion These include the importance of co-operation and collaboration of all stakeholders, developing simple and open systems and the establishment of trust. Combining these with innovative thinking and courage to do things differently are critical. Importantly growing pressure for low carbon approaches and information provision to customers and suppliers necessitates measurement, monitoring and improvement as part of a carbon management strategy. This may include an aim to be Carbon Neutral. Going Forward Next year’s GreenPort Logistics will take place in Venice on 24/25 February 2011 *Kate Royston – Robbee Smole Sustainable Business Solutions – is also a regular contributor to GreenPort Journal. Email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it |
|||||||||
- GreenPort Portal
- GreenPort 2010 - Review
- GreenPort Archive
- GreenPort Journal
- News This Month
- Recommended Events
- Useful Links
- About Us
- Contact Us
