The 2018 edition of the GreenPort Cruise & Congress conference Europe will not be welcoming any plastic.

Delegates at GreenPort Congress 2018 will hear from speakers on the latest in environmental challenges and how ports can improve their carbon footprint. To support this the organiser of the 2018 event, Mercator Media along with the Host Port, Port of Valencia, are making GreenPort Congress single-use plastic free, in an effort to reduce the amount of plastic used within ports and around the globe.

With scientists estimating that eight million metric tons of plastic ends up in our oceans each year, adding to the already estimated 150 million metric tons currently circulating our oceans, plastic is a growing global problem. In addition to the environmental and health problems posed by marine litter, floating garbage and plastics constitutes a costly as well as dangerous problem for shipping. Litter can be a navigational hazard, becoming entangled in propellers and rudders and can also greatly affect the ecosystem surrounding ports.

The speakers at this year’s GreenPort Congress aim to help tackle this increasing global issue. Session seven, entitled “Green Technological R&D”, taking place on day two of GreenPort Congress 2018, will include presentations from Port Feeder Barge, Kalmar, Hyster and Stemmann-Technic and will highlight recent, key technological innovations within the port industry. Topics will include reducing pollution on land, in the air and in the water, for example reducing emissions in the Port of Hamburg, gathering instant air quality data for ports and terminals, LNG fuelled ‘Port Feeder Barges’ for green container logistics within sea ports, sustainability of port operations and investigating alternative energy sources for mobile plant and going Green in the harbour.

Marianne Rasmussen-Coulling, Events Director at Mercator Media commented “We believed it was vital to implement a plastic free event. GreenPort Congress exists to promote more environmentally conscious strategies for both European and International ports to adopt. Leading by example, we hope to promote the use of alternative, reusable materials.”

Delegate bags will be manufactured in 100% recyclable materials, no plastic bags or envelopes will be contained within the bags and re-usable aluminium bottles for water will be available for all.

The full programme can be viewed here.

For further information and to book for the conference visit here