It is the 4th time when BPO is organizing the Seminar in the European Parliament. This years debate will be dedicated to "Future of the Baltic Sea transportation - facing the challenges and keeping up high competitiveness". The Seminar is about to be held on 17th March 2010 in European Parliament in Brussels.

40 representatives from Baltic ports, shipping lines and maritime administrations gathered on January 19th at a BPO seminar in Copenhagen to share their various opinions on the consequences of IMO’s new marine fuel sulphur regulations. BPO will now work on its position on this matter.

Baltic Ports Organization within the framework of TransBaltic Project organizes the Seminar & Debate: "Baltic Motorways of the Sea - barriers and challenges". The main goal of the Seminar is ti identify main barriers in applying the MoS concept in the Baltic Sea.

Rapid growth in cargo volumes of 2007 gave way to slightly negative volume development in the Baltic Sea region in 2008. The throughput of maritime transports and cargo in the Baltic Sea Region’s ports witnessed two opposing, general trends during the year 2008: the year began with comfortable growth expectations, but ended in an economic recession.

BPO in cooperation with Copenhagen Malmö Port is organizaing the seminar dediacated to new marine fuel regulation and it's impact on transport in the Baltic Sea. The meeting will takie place on January 19, 2010 in CMP building. The seminar will include many interesting subjects such as: New IMO marine fuel regulations (policy context), application of the SOx limits (when and how), impact on fuel price and on transportation costs in the Baltic, impact on forest and steel industry, engines and technology for new fuels (consequences for ship owners), possible changes in the transport pattern in the Baltic.

The new Baltic Port Barometer providing trend information on Baltic Sea port development is published on 3rd September 2009. According to the barometer the lowest cargo volumes have already been reached in the Baltic Sea Region. The business environment is very challenging; most of the ports reported fall in cargo turnover in the first half of 2009.

The Annual Baltic Ports Conference is the most important event for the members when 70-100 participants come together. Previously the host of the event was Port of Lübeck, now the duties of a co-organizer are to be taken over by the Port of Aarhus.

All is well under way with the preparations for the 11th Baltic Development Forum 2009 to be held in Stockholm on October 5-6th.

BPO is happy to annouce that TransBaltic project has been approved by the Monitoring Committee without any budget cuts. This is a very good news for all involved in the project preparation, including the BPO.

To tackle environmental challenges and promote economic growth in the Baltic Sea Region - these two ambitious objectives are at the core of the Baltic Sea Strategy that the EU aims to present under the Swedisch European Council Presidency in the second half of 2009.

The Annual Baltic Ports Conference is the most important event for the members when 70-100 participants come together. Previously the host of the event was Port of Lübeck, now the duties of a co-organizer are to be taken over by the Port of Aarhus.

Read here a request for expression of interest concerning cooperation on facilitation of intermodal goods transport with a maritime leg in the Baltic Sea Area (“Motorways of the Sea”-project)

In the current economic climate, do we stop talking to one another, stay at home and hope the sun shines again sometime in the future? Or do we take the bull by the horns and go to Coastlink to meet people in the same boat and come up with positive ideas and how we can get our Companies to move forward in a positive climate?