Knowledge Transfer for the Topic: Sediment Management between Ports, Industry, and Environmental Research
Groningen | Oldenburg, October 29, 2019
The tidal currents keep the sea floor in perpetual motion. These currents cause the formation of sand and mud deposits that can affect maritime ship traffic. In order to ensure access to the ports and port facilities, the waterways must have a certain, guaranteed depth. Many port companies in the North Sea region are facing the same challenges: on the one hand, they must ensure smooth port operations and, on the other hand, reduce their ecological footprint.
The port companies Niedersachsen Ports and Groningen Seaports are conducting a workshop in Eemshaven, in which experts are working on issues concerning an efficient management of sediments and the handling of dredging material in ports. What is the impact of current and future sediment movements in the North Sea and the rivers on the sediment entry into ports? How can ports respond to changing framework conditions in an environmentally responsible, yet most efficient manner? What technological developments promise the highest benefit when it comes to warranting safe access to the ports and improve their ecological footprint?
Joint Solutions for Innovative Approaches
“From our experience we know that we can best answer questions within networks and collaborations. This is a great way to come up with joint, innovative solutions. Everyone benefits from it, but it is the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site that benefits the most”, Dr. Matthäus Wuczkowski, Sustainability Manager at Niedersachsen Ports, explains.
German, Dutch and Belgian experts from port industry, industry, research, and environmental protection exchange their practical experiences, share their knowledge about ongoing projects and about the latest research findings.
The National Park Administration for the Wadden Sea National Park of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), the Flanders Marine Institute, and the Ludwig-Franzius-Institute are delivering lectures on current research projects around the topic of sediment movements in the Wadden Sea and the impact of released pollutants. Additional emphases are placed on the introduction of efficient dredging technologies, as well as the alternative and environmentally compatible handling of the dredge spoil.
The EU Project DUAL Ports
Niedersachsen Ports has designed this workshop as part of the European project DUAL Ports, which was initiated in 2015. It is funded by the EU and the Interreg North Sea Program. DUAL Ports brings ports, companies, and scientific institutions from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Scotland to the table. The objective of this collaboration is the joint development of solutions and approaches for the long-term reduction of CO2 emissions and pollution caused by the activities of the port industry. The exchange of knowledge between the partners and the resulting synergies are intended to support and accelerate the development and implementation of sustainability innovations in ports.
Further information about the project DUAL Ports is available here: www.northsearegion.eu/dual-ports and www.dualports.eu
The Workshop-Agenda is available here: https://www.nports.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Sediment_Workshop_Eemshaven_Agenda.pdf
Monday, 9th of December 2019, DUAL Ports will host a WAVE/HYDROGEN/HEAT workshop. The workshop will take place at Port of Hvide Sande.
You can read the invitation and preliminary program here.
DUAL Ports Partnership Meeting
After lunch at WAVE/HYDROGEN/HEAT workshop, DUAL Ports partners will continue with a Partnership Meeting on Tuesday, 10th of December 2019, at 13:30pm at the same venue.
You can read the agenda for the Partnership Meeting here.
Registration to mail: jp@vordingborgerhverv.dk or Josephine Petersen +45 2081 9034
The port of Oostende, the port of Zwolle, NPorts and Business Vordingborg will attend the NON STOP kick off event which will be preceded by a conference on smart digitalisation for small and medium sized ports.
Entire port group of Lower Saxony Ports once again reaches European standards.
In August 2019, the port company Niedersachsen Ports received the so-called PERS certificate from EcoPorts. EcoPorts is an environmental initiative of the European Seaport Organization (ESPO). It has developed a special standard for ports, the Port Environmental Review System, which examines the environmental and social impact of port activities. It also examines the extent to which environmental protection is systematically implemented in the company and how far targeted measures have been implemented, e.g. against noise, for lower energy consumption and to improve water or air quality.
“We have decided that we want to be judged against the European standards of EcoPorts with our environmental management and our activities. This certificate confirms our sustainable course. We are pleased about this as it is a confirmation of our work for the coastal region,” explains Holger Banik, Managing Director of Niedersachsen Ports GmbH & Co. KG and JadeWeserPort Realisierungs GmbH & Co. KG who is joined in the picture by the Minister of Economic Affairs of Lower Saxony Dr. Dernd Althusmann.
Holistic and cross-site
For the first time in 2019, the entire port group of Lower Saxony Ports has been considered. Previously, the port locations Wilhelmshaven, Emden, Cuxhaven and Brake have been awarded individually since 2016. The reason for this change is a new, holistic approach based on the environmental management, sustainability strategy and sustainability report of Lower Saxony Ports, which was prepared this year. From the sustainability strategy to the presentation of activities and the key figures, everything is comprehensively recorded in the report.
Niedersachsen Ports is working with other European ports together on measures and strategies for the decarbonization of ports within the EU funded project DUAL Ports.
Tuesday, 29th of October 2019, Niedersachsen Ports and Groningen Seaports will host a workshop on Sediment Management in Ports. The workshop will take place at Groningen Seaports, Eemshaven (Netherlands).
Ports are important hubs for international freight distribution, they keep local economy turning and create direct or indirect job opportunities. In order to remain functional, accessible and efficient, a sediment management is an essential requirement in port maintenance.
The process of maintaining the depth of ports and waterways to make them navigable and safe for shipping is connected to a couple of challenges. What influence will future sediment movements have on ports? How can contaminated sediments be handled? How can the influence on the environment be reduced?
This workshop will focus on the challenges ports are facing in water depth preservation, the impacts of dredging activities on the environment and on more sustainable solutions. This venue will give some international good practices on effective and sustainable sediment management and will illustrate some running cooperation projects with a an added value for the regions and the ecosystem.
The workshop is organized with the INTERREG Projects DUAL Ports by Niedersachsen Ports together with Groningen Sea Ports.
Place of venue:
Groningen Seaports
Eemshaven (Netherlands)
You can read the invitation and preliminary program here.
The latest technological solutions in the maritime and logistics industry presented at the SeaTech conference in Gdansk
The Port of Oostende took part in the SeaTech conference in Gdansk, Poland this week. Wim Stubbe, Business Development Manager at the Port of Oostende presented the DUAL Ports project at the conference.
The main topics at the conference was the latest technological solutions, previous experience and future challenges in the maritime and logistics industry. Experts talked about transformations in four main areas: ports, offshore, shipbuilding and logistics. Proprietary solutions were also presented by startups from the STARTER Gdańsk
You can view the highlights from the conference in this video, or via Polish media.
At the North Sea Climate Conference on the 25th of June, the DUAL Ports partnership was awarded with the runner up for ‘best video’ in the second annual NSR Video Contest. The award was handed over by the President of the North Sea Commission, Kerstin Brunnström.
Lise Espersen from the Interreg Joint Technical Secretariat presented the winner and the runner up for the NSR Video Contest at the opening dinner of the North Sea Climate Conference, that was held in Marstrand, Sweden.
The DUAL Ports project was selected as the runner up between 11 different entries in the competition. The jury consisted of 14 judges, two from each of the membering North Sea countries, appointed by the Monitoring Committee.
DUAL Ports communications officer Camilla Bruun Sørensen received the award on behalf of the project partnership. After thanking for the recognition, she took the opportunity to thank the North Sea Programme for the extension of the project, which will bring DUAL Ports even further in decarbonizing port business.
The winner of the NSR Video Contest was Inno-Quarter – an Interreg project that facilitates start-ups to develop business ideas in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, making products that help tackle climate change by reducing carbon emissions.
You can see the winning videos here and read more about the award show.
The following day consisted of plenary discussions and workshops, focusing on practical measures necessary to tackle climate change.
This year, the youth had been included in the conference and the pre-conference Interwork event with the North Sea Commission. Jamie Wylie from the 2050 Climate Group gave his perspectives on the importance of engaging the future generation in the impacts of climate change – and stressed the fact that young people are also people, who just happen to be young.
Tomas Kåberger, affiliate professor of Renewable Energy at Chalmers University illustrated how developments in wind and solar energy have exploded within the last 10 years, especially in China, making prices reach a competitive industry level.
Katharina Erdmenger, German representation to the EU, gave an update on the post-2020 discussions in Brussels, and encouraged the audience to continue the positive direction towards tackling climate change, as we are going in the right direction.
The Port of Vordingborg held their grand opening of the sustainable port expansion on June 22nd. The day was celebrated with an open event for the public, clients and official invitees.
It was a special day, when the Port of Vordingborg opened their new port area. The Mayor of Vordingborg, Mikael Smed, Head of Secretariat at North Sea Region Programme, Christian Byrith, chairman of the Danish Ports association, Ole Ingrisch and CEO of DLG, Kristian Hundebøll gave the opening speeches, focusing on the possibilities that the DUAL Ports project and the port expansion give to the local businesses, the city and the region.
De-velopment instead of de-commissioning
The Port of Vordingborg focuses on development as opposed to decommissioning, which is done by many other Danish ports. The visions of sustainable development now manifest themselves in a literal sense with a port that has become much larger in terms of area and has gained more water depth. Water depth and location are two crucial factors that make the port business attractive – both today and in the future with the establishment of a new Storstrøm bridge in the region.
Sustainable port expansion
The Port of Vordingborg has received great recognition both nationally and internationally in the industry. The port expansion is part of the EU Interreg project DUAL Ports, where ports in the North Sea Region work together to develop methods and technologies that will make port operations more sustainable. Visionary and sustainable development is a valuable brand at a time when climate is in focus.
Investing in the port is an investment in the municipality
The Port of Vordingborg is happy and proud to contribute to the visibility of the area and to support both the local and general business development. There is great interest in the port from companies in relation to the opportunities that have arisen based on the port expansion and the port’s geographical location. Also, local associations, networking groups and educational institutions have shown great interest in the port, and there have been plenty of guided tours in the last few months. The interest in investment strengthens both the Port of Vordingborg but also has a spill-over effect elsewhere in the municipality.
During the day guest could take a walk around the port, learn more about the new bridge construction, that is taking place on the southside of the port area, see the port from the seaside on a military vessel, MHV 803. The DUAL Ports project was also represented at the port and talked to many of the visitors who showed interest in the international aspect.
You can see photos from the opening and read the article from a local newspaper, Sjællandske, here.
The event was also covered by Danish regional Tv2Øst – you can see clips from the day here.
After many years of lobbying it has now been decided that the locks of Afsluitdijk in the Netherlands will be widened. The widening of the locks will have a major impact on the feedering of cargo from and to the major ports and on the development of the port of Zwolle.
This great news will have a positive impact for DUAL Ports partner Port of Zwolle.
The locks at Afsluitdijk will be widened from 11 to 25 meters and this will make it possible for larger ships to come into the inland ports of the region, including the Port of Zwolle. The decision to widen the locks will also create a lot of new investments, mainly from local companies and ship builders in the area, investing in new and larger machinery and staff.
With calculations, permits and construction, this decision will have a long-term impact, and results will not be seen in the first couple of years. However, it is an important step towards greater development in the Dutch region. The widening of the locks can make the ports of Zwolle and Kampen an attractive logistical spot for transport of bulk goods, containers and packages, which will create growth.
You can read the entire article (in Dutch) right here.
DUAL Ports will take part in the Sea Tech Conference in Gdansk, Poland, on the 18th of June.
About the conference:
“The second edition of the international Sea Tech conference devoted to the maritime and logistic industry is ahead of us. It is part of the Intelligent Specialization of Pomerania ISP 1 – Offshore and Port-logistics technology.
The meeting will be an opportunity for an expert discussion on the challenges facing the broadly understood maritime industry and familiarize yourself with presentations of startups operating in the areas of: offshore, logistics, shipyards and ports.”
