GREENPORT 2009: Investment in sustainability must stay high on ports' agenda

Monday 9 March 2009: Over 200 managers responsible for port sustainability, planning, operations and regulatory affairs attended the 4th GreenPort Conference in Naples on 25 and 26 February 2009. Ports from some 40 countries in Europe, Africa and North America were represented at the event. Hosted by the Port of Naples, GreenPort 2009 was organised in association with the EcoPorts Foundation and with the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO).

Recognising the current market conditions, the overall theme of the conference was: "Lean and Green: Finding New Answers in a Changing Economic Climate", with many speakers during the two-day conference focusing on this critical challenge. The GreenPort conference enables ports to exchange environmental information and best-practice - and this was also the original reason for the establishment of the EcoPorts Foundation.

A number of ports and terminal operators are investing significantly to implement a sustainable future, with several GreenPort conference presentations reporting on the practical, and expected, results of this strategy. Delegates found these presentations very stimulating and useful. With a number of solutions available and in place, the conference gave ports the chance to share their experiences - both positive and negative.

However, GreenPort 2009 revealed that there is still a wide gap between those port authorities and port operators which are actually implementing an environmental policy - and those which are just talking about it. Both ESPO and EcoPorts emphasised the need to convert "words" into "action".

The integral role played by ports within the supply chain was underscored at this year's conference with the inclusion of important presentations from a range of stakeholders involved in shipping and logistics. The papers and subsequent discussion covered subjects such as the development of carbon-neutral supply chains and the extension of a port's gateway to improve sustainable logistics, offering cost-effective solutions to road-congestion in port city regions.

The Conference also included a Status Report on the IAPH's World Port Climate Change Initiative, together with a presentation on the impact of climate change on the ports and shipping sector.

A key theme at the conference was ESPO's priorities for 2009: new EC policies and Directives and the implementation of environmental rules into practice - an area of activity covered by Ecoports. Every four years, Ecoports leads a review that results in a "top 10"operational environmental issues that are seen in ports when putting the laws in practice.

While much of the conference focused on investment in port operations and technology, including sustainable dredging, cargo handling equipment and shipping, ports also have to consider their role in the local community. GreenPort 2009 also included a special Workshop on the relationship between ports and the people who live and work nearby. There were presentations on best practice examples of port activities close to housing and communities and the development of an environmental for working, living and leisure-time.

Fully integrated with the GreenPort 2009 Conference, leading Suppliers of Port and Terminal Equipment, Technologies, Systems and Solutions had the opportunity to showcase their "green" credentials to delegates, while also explaining their latest innovations in the Conference Session.

Throughout the conference, it was clear that all the presenters - independently from each other, and representing a wide range of organisations - shared similar views about the sustainable development and operation of ports. These can be summarised as follows:
Environment must be included as a part of every investment undertaken by a port Environmental improvement is integral to the improvement of all port processes, so sustainable investment is also a good investment from a business perspective Strategic management means investing now in infrastructure and putting pollution reduction systems in place now, in preparation for the next sudden sharp increase in economic and cargo transport growth Although many individual ports, shipping and logistics organisations are trying to solve their own problems on a global scale, this is clearly impossible without greater co-operation with the other stakeholders in the transport chain The message from GreenPort 2009 was that there is already a strong basis of knowledge, expertise and experience; and that there is a strong need to develop further co-operation and dialogue Many participants at GreenPort 2009 commented very positively on the high quality of presentations throughout the Conference, with particular praise for the way that the various port stakeholders were brought together in the same room, reflecting the message that they are all part the same worldwide network and system. At the end of the event, there was common agreement that this port system must be a sustainable one, and that co-operation between the stakeholders is a critical requirement and remains the number one priority for an environmentally-acceptable future. For further information, please contact the GreenPort secretariat on +44 (0)20 8399 5088, email info@green-port.net or visit: www.green-port.net, www.espo.be, www.ecoports.com