On the 23.-24. of May ESPO held its annual conference in Livorno, Italy.
A memorandum emphasizing “Priorities of European Ports for 2019-2024” has been published by ESPO and was presented at the conference in Livorno.
“The memorandum explains how ports can contribute to Europe’s competitiveness. It’s more than just a shopping list of what Europe needs to do or not for European ports.
European ports are the entry gates for trade, are at the crossroads of supply chains and are hotspots of energy, industry, innovation and digitalisation. We believe that European ports are a strategic partner in achieving Europe’s goals in terms of digitalisation and decarbonisation.” says ESPO’s secretary general Isabelle Ryckbost.
You can read more about the memorandum here.
The European Maritime Days were held in Lisbon, Portugal on the 16-17thof May 2019. The DUAL Ports project was represented at the conference as the only Interreg project from the North Sea Region.
”The focus in 2019 was on blue entrepreneurship, research, innovation and investment to boost sustainable technologies and emerging value chains in the wider ocean economy.” European Maritime Day
More than 1400 participants had registered for this year’s conference, and many interested people in the maritime industry and from the European Commission stopped by the DUAL Ports corner.
The annual conference is organized by the European Commission, this year in correlation with the Portuguese Ministry of the Sea and the City of Lisbon.
The conference was opened by the Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella, who used the occasion to launch the second edition of the European Commission’s Blue Economy Report.
Commissioner Vella said: “Coastal regions are home to 214 million people and generate 43% of EU GDP. Today’s report confirms the blue economy’s role as an exciting growth sector, with opportunities both in established sectors like tourism and shipbuilding, and in emerging areas like ocean energy or the blue bioeconomy. Yet we also know that blue economy start-ups and small companies often struggle to get their good ideas off the ground. That is why the European Commission is currently developing an investment-readiness support tool to help them mature and eventually access the funding they need to scale up.”
You can read the press-release about the event and the impact of the report right here.
On the 24th-25thof April, the DUAL Ports project and the Port of Zwolle had invited stakeholders, regional businesses and the project partners for an LNG workshop, with a focus on the future potential and realistic opportunities for LNG.
LNG, also known as Liquified Natural Gas is an alternative fuel, that is becoming more common in shipping and maritime operations. The DUAL Ports project and the Port of Zwolle had invited local, regional and national speakers and participants, for a workshop to present and discuss the future perspectives for LNG.
The workshop revealed a growth in the use of LNG as a marine fuel. Future requirements from governments and legislators will demand a shift from conventional fossil fuels to more sustainable alternatives. According to TernTank, one of the Swedish presenters, LNG emits 20% less greenhouse gasses, which makes it a more sustainable alternative to conventional fuels. Also, the technology is ready and there are already ships operating on LNG fuel. The company TernTank in Sweden is already running four of their ships on LNG. According to TernTank, these new tanker ships reduce SOx and NOxemissions by more than 95 % and CO2emissions by 40 % compared to conventional tankers.
For DUAL Ports, the next step for LNG will be the results of a feasibility study made in the Port of Skagen, Denmark, which points to several possibilities for an LNG facility in Skagen. The preliminary results show a possible market share of 15%. The Port of Skagen is currently looking for an operator for a possible LNG facility – The audience was also very interested in the future of LNG. Jacob Turman, Business Development Manager from Global Green Developer expressed a great interest in becoming first mover both as owner and operator of an LNG terminal.
According to Juan Fornaso, Sales Vice President of Galileo Technologies in Argentina, the market is becoming more competitive, and one of the great advantages of LNG is that operations are scalable.
One of the takeaways from the workshop is that LNG is ideal as a transition fuel, as a pathway to IMO’s 2050 GHG targets. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set out a strategy for reducing greenhouse gasses in international shipping with 50 % by 2050, and the vision is to phase out GHG emissions completely by the end of this century – thereby, LNG is a pathway for more sustainable shipping and a transition to zero carbon fuels in the future.
The LNG Workshop hosted by the Port of Zwolle at the Lumen Hotel in Holland was the second workshop with a specific focus on LNG possibilities.
The first workshop was held in Skagen in Denmark in September, and had a focus on the technology and possibilities of LNG – this time it was a question of the reality and the economy of using LNG. You can read more about the workshop in Skagen here.
On the second day an innovation meeting was held, where four different companies presented innovative technologies that will enhance sustainable development. One of these methods is a new nuclear age that is developing. Another is the GHG absorbent granulate, which can be added to asphalt – this method is going to be used in our SURFACE pilot in Skagen, Denmark.
You can see the presentations from the LNG workshop and the Innovation meeting below.
LNG Workshop:
Bart Kuipers – Various ways of propulsion
TernTank – LNG the future of tanker shipping
Nærenergi – LNG/LBG small scale production
MCS – Full service container logistics
MEQ – Investments in the maritime industry
Innovation meeting:
FCN – NOx reducing asphalt – mechanism and application
SEABORG – making nuclear sustainable
Feadship – Superyacht sustainability
DUAL Ports, The Port of Vordingborg and the Danish Ports Association are pleased to invite you to a seminar on sustainable port development and EU funding on May 16, 2019.
The day will start with a guided tour of the Port of Vordingborg – later on the seminar will be held in beautiful surroundings near the water.
Representatives of the Port of Vordingborg and the DUAL Ports project will give you an insight into the local port expansion and how EU funding and local legislators have helped further sustainable development at the port.
You can see the full agenda here.
Registration:
Would you like to register for the seminar, please use the registration form below, before May 6, 2019.
Emden | 20. Februar 2019
The incandescent light bulb, traditional timer switches, and ON/OFF switches have all seen better days and are all but obsolete. Today’s lighting systems are smart and energy-efficient. That is exactly why Niedersachsen Ports has implemented an innovative lighting concept at the rail track area in the Port of Emden over the past months. Within the port, this track grouping is used to aid in the transshipment of motorized vehicles, for the shunting and switching, staging and parking, the loading and unloading of car carrier trains (Auto Train rail cars). The types of jobs to be performed, as well as the different areas in need of illumination, require individual lighting scenarios.
Smart Controls for Targeted Light Deployment
The smart control unit is the center piece of this new system. Motion sensors and light and track sensors capture the requirements for the individual situation. Remote-controlling the system is achieved through a web connection and provides light, wherever and whenever needed, and at the exactly required light intensity. When the tracks are idle, for instance, a medium illumination of five lux (~0.5 fc) is sufficient for jobs like general and site security. Shunting requires 15 lux (~1.4 fc), while any unloading operation requires an average light intensity of 30 lux (~2.8 fc). “We are structuring and aligning our ports in a modern and sustainable fashion. These goals are synergetic to each other, the lighting system is a great case in point for this” explains Holger Banik, Managing Director of Niedersachsen Ports GmbH & Co. KG and of JadeWeserPort Realisierungs GmbH & Co. KG.
Energy Efficiency and Climate Protection
The lighting system is fitted with LED technology, resulting in lower operating and maintenance costs and an overall longer life of the lamps. The lower electricity consumption reduces the CO2 footprint of the port.
Holger Banik is convinced of the benefits: “The energy-saving LED technology, combined with the smart control system, provides a safer work environment in the rail track area. At the same time, we are able to curtail stray light emissions toward the surroundings”.
By mounting two LED lamps to guy wires between two masts each, we were able to ideally illuminate the alleyways between the trains. Since the inception of construction in the summer of 2018, a total of 14 lighting gantries and 11 single masts have been installed. After the masts were erected, the cabling was installed in the trusses and the system was programmed.
The track field illumination was implemented within the realm of the EU-INTERREG project DUAL Ports. The project DUAL Ports aims to collaborate with North Sea ports to create measures and strategies that make the ports more innovative and sustainable. An almost identical lighting project is being implemented at the Danish Port of Vordingborg, and the lighting project has entailed a new pilot project, that will explore the possibilities for smart security – lighting that will connect to port security systems, shedding light on unauthorized activities and adapting lights to different conditions in port operations. You can read more about the SMART SECURITY pilot here.
On the 21stof February, the DUAL Ports project hosted a Hydrogen workshop at the Andromeda Hotel in Oostende.
The waters were calm, and the view was fantastic when the Port of Oostende and DUAL Ports bid welcome for a day with a focus on the challenges and opportunities for hydrogen.
The workshop was a part of the DUAL Ports extension kickoff, where many of the new pilot-projects aim to implement the use of hydrogen in different aspects.
The day started off with a presentation from different international companies, that work in the maritime and shipping industry, or in the field of hydrogen. The question at hand was, is there room for hydrogen in the future of ports and shipping?
There was no doubt that hydrogen as an alternative fuel has many benefits. Made from renewable energy, hydrogen will be a zero emissions fuel, and will improve the global environmental issues, but also improve local carbon and noise pollution – benefitting the local community.
Hydrogen is already being used in different parts of port operations; for transportation of goods by rail with a hydrogen battery hybrid in North America, and for vehicular transportation in the Orkney Islands. Also, Kristina Juelsgaard from Ballard Power presented a reach stacker, that will come into operation in Valencia later this year, driven on hydrogen fuel cells. These are all examples of small-scale use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel.
The main challenge of implementing hydrogen as a fuel on a large scale in the maritime and shipping industry is the obstacles of regulatory frameworks that are not adapted to the potential risks of hydrogen. There is simply a lack of specific rules concerning hydrogen, which create issues for storage and bunkering. Also, public opinion and customer perception is crucial to the progress. Charles Purkess from ITM Power argued that one of the aims of a large cooperation with Shell is to pioneer hydrogen as a mainstream fuel – the existence of hydrogen at the refueling station will increase awareness with customers, viewing hydrogen as a common alternative fuel.
At the end of the day the participants also took part in group discussions about the technical, management- and business-related issues for implementing hydrogen. The primary conclusions of the workshop were that the optimal conditions for the implementation of hydrogen in shipping and maritime operations will be the access to renewable sources for the production of hydrogen, advances in storage and bunkering facilities, and a large-scale demand will be a necessity for development – the crucial element is regulatory frameworks that adapt to hydrogen. Maria Brandsøy from the Maritime Business Association Flora in Norway described an electric revolution in Norway, which derived from the Norwegian Parliament’s decision made in 2015, that all ferries and new tenders had to be low or zero emission. As she argued, the same revolution could be possible for hydrogen.
You can see the presentations from the workshop here.
Maria Brandsøy, Maritime Business Association Flora, Norway – Ocean Hyway Cluster
Jonas Brendelberger, Zepp Solutions, Netherlands – Hydrogen development in shipping – scaling up
Charles Purkess, ITM Power, UK – Practical experiences with hydrogen in operation – land and sea
How can transnational cooperation in the North Sea Region contribute to overall climate goals?
DUAL Ports will be participating in a joint event organized by the North Sea Commission (NSC) thematic groups for Energy & Climate Change (ECCG) and Transport (TG).
Business Development Manager and Lead Beneficiary representative Wim Stubbe from the Port of Oostende will present the DUAL Ports project at the North Sea Region Seminar, on February 28, 2019.
The seminar will aim to discuss how transnational cooperation can contribute to the overall climate goals, and will adress the policy frameworks on energy & climate and alternative fuels for transport, and bring input to the energy and transport issues in NSCs new strategy – NSR 2027.
Extension approved for DUAL Ports
On the 11thof December 2018, the Steering Committee of the Interreg VB North Sea Region Programme has approved the extension of the DUAL Ports project. This entails that the DUAL Ports project has welcomed six new partners and will be implementing eight new pilot-projects.
6 additional partners from the public and private sector and academia will bring new expertise and experience to the DUAL Ports project. With different backgrounds and different skills, the new partners will bring additional competencies to the project and investigate further into sustainable technologies.
So far, the DUAL Ports project has been able to demonstrate eco-innovative solutions that can reduce the carbon footprint of ports in the North Sea Region and, at the same time, be economically viable. As an example, the LED Pilot realised at the Port of Emden, Germany, has shown a 3% reduction in total costs, but more importantly a staggering 80% carbon emission reduction, compared to conventional lighting.
The SOIL Pilot realised at the Port of Vordingborg, Denmark, has shown a 4% carbon emission reduction and a 10% total investment cost reduction, compared to a ‘non-green’ soil treatment.
These promising results have arisen the interest of external organisations, willing to join the project to test other technologies that, if integrated to the existing ones, could allow ports to be much more sustainable and utilize in some cases even 100% renewable energy sources.
The new pilots in the DUAL Ports extension are all pilots that improve, complement and inter-link with the already existing pilots. The new solutions introduced in the project are motivated by a clear market need to develop new pragmatic and cost-effective technologies, that support ports in their ambition to become more sustainable.
With the addition of 8 new pilots the spectrum of potential environmentally friendly solutions applicable to small and medium sized ports will be broadened and their results evaluated, in order to propose varied alternatives to harbour authorities in the North Sea Region and enable them to make informed decisions on which investments to pursue, considering both environmental and economic argumentations.
The new pilots are deemed to increase the carbon reduction from 10% to 12%, given the fact that some of them are based on the integration of fully renewable energy sources, such as wind, sea, solar and hydrogen. Not only the ports involved, but also the relevant towns will benefit from the cleaner environment, by reducing the public healthcare costs; a reduction that has already been calculated for the foreseen investment at the Port of Skagen, Denmark.
On the 21stof February the DUAL Ports project will host a kick-off meeting for the extension of DUAL Ports. The kick-off will be the first partnership meeting where the new partners will be introduced. Also, a workshop on the possibilities of the use of hydrogen will be conducted.
The new partners are:
- Port of Hvide Sande, Denmark
- Hvide Sande Fjernvarme A.m.b.A, Denmark
- Laminaria BVBA, Belgium
- Uppsala University, Sweden
- Seabased AB, Sweden
- Celtic Cruises LTD, United Kingdom
The new pilots are:
- HEAT– using renewable rest-energy to supply heating
- SEA POWER– demonstrating the potential of wave energy
- WAVE– supplying clean power and using surplus energy
- SEDIMENTS– developing a sustainable concept for removing pollutants
- SAIL CARGO TEST– testing innovative, sustainable cargo transport by sail
- SURFACE– testing new technologies to absorb and reduce emissions
- SMART SECURITY– testing an LED smart signalization system for port operations
- CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMME– expanding port staff’s know-how on low carbon solutions and technologies piloted through DUAL Ports
The DUAL Ports Partnership has the pleasure of inviting you to a Hydrogen Workshop on the 21st of February 2019, at the Andromeda Hotel, Oostende, Belgium.
- Would you like to know more about the opportunities as well as technical, management and business-related challenges related to the introduction of Hydrogen in ports and the maritime sector?
- Or hear of how some EU projects and partners have already been working together to develop H2 initiatives in some North Sea ports?
The workshop is hosted by the DUAL Ports project, and is a part of the DUAL Ports Extension Kick Off meeting.
You can see the agenda and registration information here.
For more information about the workshop, please, contact Mr Wim Stubbe, Business Development Manager at the Port of Oostende (Wim.Stubbe@portofoostende.be).
The event is organized within the framework of the DUAL Ports project, co-financed by ERDF under the Interreg North Sea Region Programme.
