The Importance of Green Ports and Green Logistic Chains

A recent survey that we carried out among the members of ESPO shows that an increasing amount of port authorities take initiatives that go beyond the minimal legal requirements in this field and step up to take responsibility.

Already in 1994, ESPO published its Environmental Code of Practice. These guidelines will be reviewed this year and will take the green ambitions of ports to a higher level. This is necessary because new environmental challenges have come up the last few years and we want to reflect those new challenges in the new Code. We also want to become more ambitious in emphasising the pro-active role that port authorities can and should incorporate in their sustainability policies.

During 2011, we will not only be revising the Environmental Code of Practice, but 2011 also marks the start of a new era for EcoPorts, the European flagship network of port environmental managers. Since 1 January 2011, EcoPorts is fully integrated within the ESPO structure. This means that every European port authority that is connected to ESPO has direct access to the EcoPorts tools and network. This will further help to increase the integration of a green policy in ports.

On the other end of policy making, this year we will also see interesting developments in the EU. The European Commission is about to publish its environmental guidelines on port development and is also preparing a roadmap on ship emissions. Further this year we will also see the new Transport Policy White Paper for 2020 and the review of the Trans-European Transport Networks, where sustainability and the decarbonisation of transport will be a Leitmotiv as well.

All this adds up plenty of policy developments that are leading the way to a greener future of ports. Hence, we have identified what we strive for, ‘Green Ports’. Besides, it entails not only the port itself, but it also includes the logistic chains. It is the complete port network that we want to innovate. Yet, policy would mean nothing if it wasn’t implemented. Luckily, we see plenty of examples of initiatives by ports that show that these policies pay off.

Let me therefore illustrate this with an initiative that is shared among a number of ports in the Hamburg-le Havre range, the Environmental Shipping Index (ESI). The index shows the environmental performance of ships in terms of air emission pollutants (NOx and SOx) and CO2. Ports and other nautical service providers throughout the world can use the index to reward ships and, in this way, encourage sustainable behaviour in the shipping industry. Another way to decrease the pollution of ships is shore side electricity, which is becoming available in an increasing number of ports.

Working towards a modal-split is also a way to decrease ports’ impact on the environment. A way to organize this modal-split is by letting terminal operators sign contracts with which they commit themselves and are obliged to put through an increasing percentage of goods by rail or inland water transport. In this case it is important that the appropriate hinterland connections have the capacity to cope with this modal split. Part of this can be achieved by investing in container infrastructure in the hinterland and in ports where cargo flows can be organized more efficiently.

Another way for ports, as large industrial clusters, to reduce their impact on the environment is by using intelligent pipeline systems. Different types of industries can be connected with each other because of their close proximity and heat that is generated by one installation, can be used for the heating of other places (residual heating). Carbon Capture and Storage also have a role to play in industrial port clusters. By laying out an infrastructure for CO2 and creating storage capacity connected to that infrastructure, CO2 can be captured and stored using different industrial installations, in order to reduce CO2 emissions.

These concrete initiatives are necessary to reduce ports’ impact on the environment. We also see that ports and policy makers take policy initiatives that spur and stimulate these green developments in and around ports. Together with GreenPort we should continue with these developments and keep investing in concrete ideas and measures that make ports and port logistics greener.