This year’s GreenPort conference, which took place in Naples on 25-26 February, attracted over 200 participants. The conference was organised in association with ESPO and the EcoPorts Foundation (EPF). Recognising the current market conditions, the overall theme of the conference was: “Lean and Green – Finding new solutions in a Changing Economic Climate”. Many speakers during the two-day conference focused on this critical challenge and emphasised the need to invest now in both infrastructure development and pollution reduction, in preparation for future growth.
GreenPort 2009 also revealed that there is still a wide gap between those ports that are actually implementing an environmental policy – and those which are just talking about it. Logistics operators, shippers and shipowners identified what they expect from ports as partners in green logistics chains. Coffee trader Patrick Installe of Efico summarised the key selection criteria for ports well through the partnership example his company developed with the port of Zeebrugge. These criteria include a clean environment, a strategic location, available space and landside connections, smooth administrative procedures and, above all, a port authority with a long-term vision. A panel of port representatives responded by illustrating how port authorities can play a catalyst role through facilitating partnerships with operators and government, advancing technological innovation, info sharing and setting regulatory standards. The EcoPorts tools were introduced as ideal instruments to defend the “license to operate” of ports, including small and medium-sized ones. Finally, Julio de la Cueva of the European Commission’s ports policy unit gave an update on the forthcoming EU guidelines regarding application of environmental legislation to port development. These are meant to facilitate assessments within the framework of the Natura 2000 Directives and are expected to be finalised by summer.
Parallel sessions dealt with green logistics chains, the implementation of the World Port Climate Initiative, EcoPorts tools and city-port relations. During the latter session, ESPO explained the background of its initiative to give out an Award for projects that aim to integrate ports better into society. The ESPO-EcoPorts environmental online review was successfully launched on the second day of the conference with the first ports filling in the online questionnaire on site. Ports are warmly encouraged to respond to the survey by 15 June.
The next edition of the GreenPort Conference will take place on 24-25 February 2010 in Stockholm.
Source: Transportweekly