Global Ports Sign Up to Cleaner Future for Ocean Vessels

NORWAY – WORLDWIDE – The International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) which has hundreds of global ports and associated businesses amongst its members, has joined the IMO-Norway GreenVoyage2050 Project as a strategic partner. The GreenVoyage2050 Project is a partnership project between the Government of Norway and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) which aims to transform the shipping industry and create a lower carbon future.

IAPH’s Technical Committees of port member experts will work alongside fellow GreenVoyage2050 partners on concrete deliverables with the intention of supporting developing countries to meet their commitment towards relevant climate change and energy efficiency goals. Between now and the end of 2021 these will include the creation of workshop packages on sustainable ports and onshore power supplies

These workshops will then be rolled out at selected ports from 12 countries from the Asia, Africa, Black Sea / Caspian Sea, Caribbean, Latin America and Pacific regions as part of the GreenVoyage2050 plan to expand port management capacities in those six priority areas. IAPH will join GreenVoyage2050 as part of a broad range of coordinated actions with a number of Pioneer Pilot Countries (PPC), New Pilot Countries (NPC), and strategic national, regional and global partners. IAPH Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven, explains:

“We are delighted to embark on the GreenVoyage2050 project as a strategic partner. IAPH has already actively worked together with the IMO’s Marine Environment Division on the GEF-UNDP-IMO Global maritime energy efficiency partnerships (GloMEEP) project, delivering several useful workshops and industry tools such as the Port Emissions Toolkit which assists ports in their emissions reduction strategies.

”We look forward to having our experts from the IAPH Climate and Energy Technical Committee join colleagues on the GreenVoyage2050 Project to assist member state countries on emissions reductions initiatives related to ports.”

The IMO has a road map of specifications with regard to its strategy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vessels of all types and currently much energy used in ports globally is supplied from oil fuelled generators and the like, both on the quayside and aboard ships, most if not all of which could be gleaned from cleaner energy sources. IMO’s Project Technical Manager Astrid Dispert commented:

“We very much welcome this partnership and look forward to closely collaborate with IAPH’s technical committees with a view to developing tools and guidance to support ports, particularly those participating in the GreenVoyage2050 Project, in their efforts to reduce GHG emissions. This type of collaboration will greatly support implementation of the actions set out in IMO’s resolution on ports, which encourages voluntary cooperation between shipping and port sectors to reduce GHG emissions.”

Photo: Image courtesy of the Port of Montreal, WPSP 2020 Award finalist in category Community Outreach and Port-City Dialogue (Focus Area 1 = Port Development and License to Operate) - Grand Quay Development.