Celebrating eco ports

North Sea Port (NL/BE) and the Port of Oslo in Norway received their first Port Environmental Review System (PERS) certificates. Six ports were re-certified, including Shoreham Port in the UK, Port of Huelva in Spain, Port of Pori in Finland, Port of Volos in Greece, Asyaport in Turkey and Shannon Foynes Port Company in Ireland.

ESPO Secretary General, Isabelle Ryckbost, commented: “The success of the EcoPorts Network shows that European ports are taking issues of environmental management and sustainability seriously.”

Commitment to sustainability

North Sea Port joined EcoPorts in 2018 and is the first cross-border port to become PERS-certified, while the Port of Oslo achieved its PERS within one year of joining the EcoPorts Network.

Shoreham Port received its fifth PERS certification during the PERS ceremony, having joined EcoPorts in 2011. Shannon Foynes Port Company joined EcoPorts the same year. As the only PERS-certified Irish port, it received its fourth PERS certification this year.

The Port of Huelva received its third PERS recertification since 2016. The Port of Pori is the only Finnish PERS-certified port, and now recertified port, having joined EcoPorts in 2018. The Port of Volos has been an EcoPorts member since 2012 and is recommitting to PERS, becoming re-certified after some time without a certificate in place. As a non-EU port, Asyaport (TR) achieved a PERS certification, having joined EcoPorts in 2015.

ESPO EcoPorts Coordinator Valter Selén said the EcoPorts Network now has 30 PERS-certified ports from across Europe.