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In a world where sustainability is increasingly in focus and ships are growing in size and volume, is there a future for smaller, regional ports?  A workshop hosted by the North Sea Region funded project DUAL Ports provided some interesting answers.

By Sofie Forfang, nortseablog.eu, Joint Secretariat, North Sea Region Programme

On 10 October, the DUAL Ports project held a workshop in Brussels entitled Innovative green port solutions in small and medium sized ports.

The DUAL Ports project aims to decarbonise regional entrepreneurial ports through a shared eco-innovation programme and runs eight pilots demonstrating green port concepts.

The workshop was organised as a side event at the EU Week of Regions and Cities and brought together key stakeholders in a lively discussion on the greening of smaller ports.

Blue growth – a key driver of European economy

Gesine Meissner, President of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Seas, Rivers, Islands and special envoy on Maritime Policy, highlighted the role of regulatory frameworks in driving the greening of European ports.

She recognised the role of EU-funded projects like DUAL ports in helping regional ports meet upcoming sustainability demands. According to Meissner, DUAL Ports is ‘a very good project which can really bring us a step forward by stimulating eco-innovation in ports.’

Felix Leinemann of DG Mare agreed, commending the DUAL Ports project for trailblazing solutions that complement other initiatives across Europe. He underlined the growing economic importance of European blue growth, currently with an estimated turnover of 566 billion €, creating minimum 3.5 million jobs  and with many emerging businesses driven by new technology e.g. within circular economy, desalinisation, big data, sensors, and autonomous vessels.

Pilots show positive results

Two DUAL Ports pilots were presented at the workshop:

GREEN OFFICER: Sustainability manager at the German Niedersachsen Ports Matthäus Wuckowski presented the pilot’s sustainability strategy that incorporates eco-innovation as well as other aspects such as growth and customer satisfaction. The strategy is now driving numerous types of innovation, such as the installation of an intelligent LED lighting system where lights are automatically switched on when needed.

SOIL: Development Manager Jan-Jaap Cramer presented how the Danish Port of Vordingborg is using construction and demolition waste, fly ash, and slag to expand the port. This reduces the cost of the expansion, saves costs of depositing the waste, and speeds up the port construction since the materials are readily available in the local area. Also, recycling local waste material reduces the carbon footprint due to avoided transport.

Initial cost-benefit analyses by the Hamburg Institute of International Economics indicate that the money invested into both pilots has been well-spent.

EU frameworks key to greening of regional ports

Much of the discussion revolved around the challenges facing ports can be met and how EU policy and incentive frameworks may help.

Wim Stubbe of the Flemish Port of Oostende, Flanders (the Lead Beneficiary of DUAL Ports) was clear on why EU funding is crucial: ‘Small and medium ports need EU support due to lack of resources and expertise’, he said, explaining that many small ports are run by less than a handful of people.

Sotiris Raptis of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) called for tax exemptions for shoreside power supply. This would put electricity on a more equal footing with bunker oil and other fossil fuels that are currently exempt from energy tax when used for shipping.

However, it can be difficult for smaller ports to attract electricity companies. The company Blue Power Synergy presented a new invention which might solve the issue: A floating, solar-powered device designed to provide power for ships. ‘The EU should provide the platform for realising this kind of invention’, Wim Stubbe suggested.

The strong global trend of supersize sea carriers was also brought up as a core challenge for the smaller ports.   ‘What we really need is ships that are smaller, smarter, and lighter. The building of smaller ships should be better incentivised,’ said Jan-Jaap Cramer.

Transnational cooperation bolsters regional ports for the future

Do the trends of supersized vessels and increasing sustainability requirements put the future of regional ports at stake? Not necessarily. Smaller ports are still needed for effective hinterland transport and also have a role to play in the local community, e.g. by catering to off-shore energy facilities.  And as DUAL Ports shows, transnational cooperation helps the smaller ports make headway and innovate for sustainability, in a way that is tailored to their needs.

Delegates found that transnational cooperation speeds up positive development in smaller ports due to the knowledge transfer between partners. Also, the DUAL Port pilots form a basis for further initiatives reaching into the future. For example, Niedersachsen Ports’ sustainability strategy has paved the way for a systematic approach to eco-innovative port development and has led the ports to set green targets  for 2025, e.g. for the launch of hydrogen utilities.

The pilots also inspire other ports. According to Wim Stubbe, the eco-innovation efforts of the Port of Oostende are already garnering significant attention: ‘We have at least two visits every month from foreign delegations. Even people from India and Taiwan come to learn about our activities.’

The workshop thus revealed that there is both a challenge and an opportunity for smaller ports to diversify, to specialise and even to become a laboratory for innovation in logistics, port management and blue growth.

You can read more about EU funded projects on the North Sea Region blog here.

On October 10, DUAL Ports had organized a workshop in Brussels, during the EU Week of Regions and Cities. 25 participants from the maritime industry, EU policy representatives and partners of DUAL Ports spend the afternoon learning about innovative green port solutions, and had fruitful discussions about how to tackle challenges in greening port business.

Felix Leinemann, Head of Unit Blue Economy Sectors, Aquaculture and Maritime Spatial Planning in DG MARE addressed the opportunities for Blue Growth and informed the interested listeners that blue economy is growing exponentially compared to other sectors. Developments in new technologies and digitalization, underwater robotics and innovative aquaculture creates a great potential for growth. He also stated the importance of ecological management – taking the environment into consideration during this vast development. As he put it – “We cannot make a profit, if we do not keep the sea healthy”.

The growing industry is also one of the main motivations for the existence of DUAL Ports, which has the objective of making small and medium sized (SME) ports more sustainable, but also more competitive. In a growing economy and with large investments in new technologies, SME ports often struggle with limited funds and staff. In order to tackle this, DUAL Ports works to develop methods and test concrete measures that will save both cost and carbon emission, for the benefit of the ports.

The audience was given a short presentation of three DUAL Ports pilots, by representatives of Port of Vordingborg, Denmark and Niedersachsen Ports, Germany. The pilots on sustainable and intelligent ports lighting, sustainable port management and port extension with waste materials demonstrated how  these challenges are being tackled by SME ports. The session was followed by a debate between the speakers and the audience about how to improve conditions, to make sustainable ambitions more doable for small ports. Some of the main topics for discussion were the technologies available today and the legislation that needs to follow, and adapt to new methods and framework conditions. Also, the audience addressed questions related to funding – particularly why funding is often earmarked for large ports who already have resources – opposed to small ports, with limited financial and staff resources. The solution is still to come.

The keynote speaker, Gesine Meißner, President of the European Parliament Intergroup Seas, Rivers, Islands was very positive about DUAL Ports and stated that all ports should be made aware of the findings that have come and will continue to come out of the project.

The workshop was organized by the DUAL Ports partnership;  hosted by the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI), Niedersachsen Ports and Region

The Joint Secretariat of the North Sea Region also attended the workshop – you can read their impressions here.

The workshop agenda is available here.

The Port of Skagen held an LNG workshop as project partner in the Interreg project Dual Ports, which aims to decarbonize the ports in the North Sea region and reduce the environmental footprint.

Nearly 20 contributors were on the workshop’s programme to provide different perspectives and experiences with Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) fuel. The approximately 40 participants in the workshop were both project partners and external companies seeking knowledge about LNG now and in the future.

The Port of Skagen was the organizer of the conference and is working on highlighting the possibilities for establishing an LNG bunker plant at the Port of Skagen, and the outcomes of the workshop were very positive.

“We have had some very positive expressions from our contributors today, stating that Skagen has an optimal geographical position, making it attractive to invest in LNG bunkering in this area. We will definitely keep working on the business case of installing an LNG facility at the port”, says Willy Hansen, CEO at Port of Skagen.

During the workshop, experiences, ambitions and knowledge was shared from different sectors of the maritime and fuel industry. Lars Persson from Swedegas in Sweden gave his examples on lessons learned as the first country to have a land based LNG bunker station. According to him the future is bright, although there are still challenges for the use of LNG. National legislations and regulations are working towards LNG, but the ports’ own rules and procedures often still provide a challenge – technology is not an issue. Also from Greece, Stefanos Chonianakis from DEPA Public Gas Corporation SA gave examples of a government that is taking many steps towards the support of LNG in Greece.

One of the biggest challenges with LNG bunkering are security issues and lack of knowledge of the actual danger of using LNG. Hanne Hollander, real estate manager from the Port of Emden expressed some of the challenges when investigating LNG options. The German authorities have concerns in regards to potential accidents with LNG. The exchange of knowledge through this workshop revealed that LNG is much safer than many assume. LNG does not burn the same way as a normal fire, and accidents are even much less likely to occur.

During the day, the Port of Skagen had many inputs to work further on, for their pilot project within DUAL Ports.

“Our purpose of being part of DUAL Ports is to investigate the possibilities for an LNG plant in Skagen and make a business case. As a port, we are naturally occupied with providing the right facilities to the port’s customers, and we want to develop the port’s activities in respect to the environment, “says Jesper R. Rulffs, business developer at the Port of Skagen.

You can find presentations from all the speakers here.

The Port of Vordingborg in Denmark opened up to the public on September 1^st, where more than 800 visitors came by the docks and learned much more about the port, the customers and about the sustainable expansion of the quay area.

The Port of Vordingborg invited the public “inside” for an “Open Port”-event on September 1^st2018. The many visitors were equipped with a map of the port and were sent on a walk around the port area.

On a marked route, visitors were given the opportunity to get close to the companies that “reside” on the port. At present, 7 companies have settled on the port on the small island Masnedø, in Denmark.

The companies were ready to receive the many guests and told curious citizens more about their production and their reasons for “settling” at the port.

Representatives of the port’s other actors told more about the development projects, and visitors could also come close to the ongoing port expansion, which, with its unique focus on sustainability, attracted great interest.

The port development manager Jan-Jaap Cramer told the many interested more about DUAL Ports and why it is important for the port to think sustainability into the process. The recycling project is going well and the Port of Vordingborg receives very positive reactions from both customers and partners. The port expansion project based on recycling of filling material for the new quayside and a sustainable lighting system has meant that the Port of Vordingborg now finds that both construction companies, customers and other collaborators consider adopting sustainable methods.

There is an important signal value in focusing on sustainability and the DUAL Ports project has helped to visualize the value for both the Port of Vordingborg and the public.

Test event

 

In this whole-day-workshop Dr. Matthäus Wuczkowski will give an insight into all the activities carried out in the two pilots of Niedersachsen Ports, i.e. the Green Port Officer and the LED pilot, and supply you with relevant best-practice examples as well as documents. The input will be followed by a discussion on what could be transferred to other ports.

The workshop will be held at the Port of Vordingborg, Denmark.

The Port of Vordingborg is project partner in the LED Pilot and is also looking into the implementation of intelligent lighting and sustainability management. Click to read more about the Green Port officer and learn more about the LED pilot here.

If you would like to participate in this workshop, please contact:

Dr. Matthäus Wuczkowski

Sustainability Manager, Niedersachsen Ports, Germany

mwuczkowski@nports.de

+49 441 – 35020-613

“The right light at the right time,” summarizes Project Manager Aike Wollersheim in a few words the lighting project of Niedersachsen Ports. These days, construction work on the installation of an intelligent lighting system at Eichstraße in Emden begins. A track of six tracks is used there for shunting, parking and loading and unloading of car trains.

The lighting system will be built in this area as an LED system and equipped with an intelligent control system. Motion detectors as well as light and track sensors detect the respective situation. The system can be operated via SMS or an app via a technical remote control and then light is made available where, when and in which light intensity it is actually needed. “We use the potential of digitization to save resources, optimize port operations and relieve the burden on the environment,” emphasizes Holger Banik, Managing Director of Niedersachsen Ports GmbH & Co. KG and JadeWeserPort Realisierungs GmbH & Co. KG.

In the future, the light intensities will be adapted to the different lighting scenarios. Thus, in the idle state, a mean illuminance of five lux is sufficient for e.g. general security and security. For the shunting operation 15 lux are required while in unloading an average thickness of 30 lux is necessary.

“We will install 14 light bridges and 11 single masts in the next few weeks. Suspension ropes and hangers are suspended by two masts, in order to be able to optimally illuminate the lanes between the trains later,” Wollersheim continues. After setting up the masts, the wiring follows in the structures. The programming of the technology and a trial operation complete the construction work. It is planned to go into regular operation this fall.

Track lighting is being implemented as part of the EU-INTERREG project DUAL Ports. The DUAL Ports project aims to collaborate with ports in the North Sea Region to work together on policies and strategies to make ports more sustainable and innovative. A parallel lighting project will be realized in the Danish port of Vordingborg.

If you would like to now more about the LED pilot, please contact pilot leader Matthäus Wuczkowski, Sustainability Manager at Niedersachsen Ports, +49 441 – 35020-613, mwuczkowski@nports.de

Dual Ports is co-founded by
The North See Region Programm 2014-2020;
Eco-innovation priority.
www.northsearegion.eu/dual-ports
J-No: 38-2-7-15