This sustainable growth agenda and promoting the value of ports and their varied activities will be at the heart of British Ports Association’s (BPA) work over the next 12 months, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the UK government debates a ‘green recovery’, Richard Ballantyne, chief executive of the BPA, said: ”From air quality to their environmental footprint, ports are now looking into what they do to support the government’s long term net zero targets. Indeed, changes to UK energy use and a move towards renewable energy generation is definitely something the sector is aligned to and supporting.”
Pandemic changed priorities
The BPA said the impact of the pandemic drove attention away the expected UK ports sector focus on sustainability and the energy transition. While a green recovery is now an attractive proposition for politicians, what this actually might mean for ports is still open for some debate, it noted.
“Included in the sustainability work of the BPA will be a renewed focus on modal shift such as increased rail fright opportunities for certain ports but also, particularly, coastal shipping, which has been neglected as a policy area by the government over the last 10 years,” said Mr Ballantyne.
In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit and the changes to ports it brings has been a time-consuming process, but with the transition period now complete, an opportunity has arisen.
“With the UK’s departure from the EU, there is also an opportunity to have a fresh look at freight support grants which have been woeful in both uptake and allocation in terms of coastal shipping,” noted Mr Ballantyne. “We will be looking at how, in certain circumstances, options to take goods off congested land routes onto ships can help support the sustainability agenda. Shipping is of course the most environmentally efficient form of freight transport.”