Twenty-one participants representing from a wide range of port and regulatory organisations participated in the 1st GreenPort Environmental Study Tour.

Participants included representatives from the US Environmental Protection Agency; the South African Ministry of Environment; Transnet, South Africa; the Australian ports of Brisbane, Hasting and Fremantle; the Port of Santander; the Port of Quebec; Israel Ports Authority; the Port of Moerdijk; Clean Globe International based in Finland; C-Mar of the USA and the Yazici Iron and Steel Port located in Iskenderum, Turkey.

Outside of Port of Antwerp HQ

The tour which took place a week prior to the GreenPort/EcoPorts Conference in Amsterdam, comprised technical visits to the ports of Southampton, Felixstowe, Harwich, Antwerp and Rotterdam.

The aim of the Study Tour was to enable ports, particularly those located outside the EU, to experience first-hand, how a selection of European ports tackled a wide variety of environmental issues.  The combination of detailed lectures followed by on-site inspection of facilities and environmental initiatives provided participants with a wide range of information from habitat management and mitigation to “green” fumigation of containers.

“The value in the Tour was being able to both hear what ports are saying and then actually seeing what happens on the ground.  In each port visited we certainly felt welcome and everyone went to a lot of effort to provide relevant information to our group,” commented Ralph Kenyon, Chief Executive, Port of Hastings.

Kathleen Bailey, Head of Port Liaison with the US EPA added, “The study tour provided visual examples of how EU environmental policy is being implemented. Both the Study Tour and the GreenPort/EcoPorts Conference provided examples of how ports' development of environmental management systems (EMS) helps integrate environmental stewardship into day-to-day port operations and strategic planning.”

Following the success of the 1st GreenPort Environmental Study Tour a 2nd Tour is being planned to French and Italian ports. It will be scheduled for the week before the 4th GreenPort/EcoPorts Conference in Naples which convenes February 25-26, 2009. Further details will follow shortly.