BPO Ystad Climate Declaration signed at the Baltic Ports Conference 2023

The Baltic Ports Organization (BPO) Ystad Climate Declaration has been signed today by the Members of the Organization, gathered for the General Assembly during the second day of the Baltic Ports Conference 2023 (BPC) in Ystad, Sweden.

With the European Green Deal, and the adoption of various associated initiatives, such as the Fit for 55 package, the European Commission (EC) set the course towards a climate neutral European Union. The push towards the greening of maritime transport, both in Europe and on a global scale, further underscored by the recent approval of IMO’s GHG Strategy, is one of the defining factors shaping the future of the maritime transport sector.

Recognizing the essential part ports need to play in order to achieve the climate goals placed before the maritime community, Members of the BPO declared their readiness to put forth the best effort to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from port activities, inspire environmental consciousness and cooperate with business partners and a wide range of stakeholders in order to protect our climate.

The BPO Ystad Climate Declaration supports the plan formulated by the EC. At the same time the signees would like to emphasize the need for a practical and rational approach, combined with transparent dialogue between the maritime industry and the policymakers as key for making a carbon neutral Europe a reality. The goals must be achievable, with clearly outlined targets and the required financial and legislative support must be provided.

You can access the full document under this link.

Climate change in focus at the BPC 2023

The second day of the BPC 2023, held on 6-8 September, 2023, in Ystad, Sweden, was the perfect backdrop for the signing of the Declaration. Impact of climate change on port development was the name of the game for the day and it kicked off with the cargo suppliers’ point of view.

Elisabeth Munck af Rosenschöld (IKEA) outlined her company’s approach to decarbonization. Their targets for 2030 are ambitious – 70% reduction of GHG emissions on average on every transport and 80% reduction in absolute emissions from warehousing. The plan to achieve these is based on three pillars, including reduction, i.e., doing more with less (increased efficiency), replacement of fossil fuels and energy with zero-emission solutions and rethinking the approach to innovation and collaboration.

ESG compliance also made an appearance on the agenda, in regards to its potential effects on the competitiveness of the European maritime sector. According to Zofia Roguska (EY), the shipping sector’s ESG performance will fall under even greater scrutiny from the side of financial institutions and business partners. Furthermore, access to green finance will be highly dependent on EU Taxonomy requirements compliance.

Various other costs of combating climate change, a process inextricably linked to the need of costly investments, were discussed by representatives of the port sector, hailing from the Ports of Gdynia, Oslo and Stockholm.

An electrifying finish

It was time for the host of the conference to take the stage during the final stretch of the event. Björn Boström (Port of Ystad) shared his thoughts on the ways to optimize the benefits from investments in on-shore power supply (OPS) systems. Shore power has been an important talking point for quite some time now, increasingly so since the adoption of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), which requires ports to provide shore-side electricity for vessels by 2030.

The topic was taken further in a panel featuring representatives from EOPSA, Port of Hamburg Marketing and the Port of Ventspils, who discussed the need to plan ahead when deciding on the placement of shore power installations and whether it will remain viable in the next one or two decades. Ingemar Gustavsson (ACTEMIUM) went into more technical detail on the issue, sharing his company’s approach to delivering shore electricity to berthing vessels. A single plug solution, attachable in mere minutes, dedicated to design space and flexibility demands (containerized, concrete structures and movable platforms).

Guido Gommer (Wabtec) had the honor to close the programme, presenting the HYPOBATT project, perfectly in line with the electric theme of the session. The aim of the initiative is to develop a fast-charging system for ships. The first location foreseen for implementation is the ferry service between the North German Ports of Norddeich and Norderney.

The event culminated in a bus tour of the Port of Ystad, where the participants could see the black and grey water treatment systems of Marinfloc in action. Earlier today Martin Gombrii and Ola Larsson (Marinfloc) shared more information on the company’s expertise in that field, including various water treatment solutions for ships, turn-key installations and training.

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Next edition of the Baltic Ports Conference will take us to Klaipeda, where we will meet in September 2024.

The Organizers would like to thank the sponsors – GISGRO, Grieg Connect, Marinfloc, RightShip and Wabtec – for making the event a possibility!