Following lunch in host Portsmouth International Port’s ultra-green passenger terminal, delegates could choose between a conference session and a workshop.
The third conference session – Tackling pollution, sediment and comprehensive risk management to support greener ports – put operational resilience and sustainability centre stage with practical, real-world solutions.
It covered the importance of hull cleaning with collecting to avoid alien species, provided by Jorn-Erik Hausmann, Special Advisor Sustainability and QHSE at Bergen Havn; Małgorzata Żochowska, Business Manager – Dry Bulk at Race for the Baltic shared operational practices for cleaner dry bulk handling; and Peter Beerten PhD, a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Amsterdam outlined how the High Reliability Activity approach can support safe port development, clean energy integration and digital transformation.
“What really came through was the importance of thinking globally, but acting locally, and the three speakers really talked about the actual impact: air, water, soil, and sediment,” said Moderator Christopher Wooldridge, Science Coordinator at ECOPorts EcoSLC.
“As managers, do we need to understand the science? Yes, we do. The processes involved in the natural environment, in chemical degradation, in biomass. We do need to understand the principles of it. And again, how important was monitoring that came up? If you can’t measure, you can’t control. So monitoring is significant, and then the importance of new technology.”
Meanwhile the workshop – Stakeholder Engagement: Turning Challenges into Opportunities – invited delegates to take on the role of stakeholders in the fictional Port of Improvement, and explore the varied opinions and interests involved.
Facilitator Elseline Journée, Assistant Director of the ECO Sustainable Logistics Chain Foundation (ECOSLC) said: “It’s very interesting to see how every stakeholder has their own interests, their own thoughts, and they want to inform the others about it. And so it gives everyone a good understanding of stakeholders and how important they are for ports.”
The final session of the opening day – Energy, electrification and net zero in ports. Showcasing real world implementation of shore power systems to IEC standard – heard first-hand accounts and insights from Portsmouth International Port’s electrification journey. A memorable conclusion.
Post-conference, the 21st GreenPort Congress continued with a port tour, including a look at the UK’s only multi-user shore power system, then an on-the-water harbour tour followed by the Conference Dinner in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
GreenPort Congress will continue into a second day… watch this space.
