Nordic Ports Cooperate on Working Toward a Sustainable Future

SCANDINAVIA – It seems the current buzzword for ports, certainly around Europe, is cooperation. Having seen some become jointly administered partners, whilst globally the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) numbers 170 world ports amongst its members, now ten Nordic ports are now actively working together with common aims.

The main objective of the new drive is taking up a position to create a sustainable future aligned with the Paris Agreement and the United Nation's global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), something the group says it plays a decisive role in, being responsible for a key position in the supply chain for global trade and the world economy.

The ten have jointly signed a declaration that emphasises the importance of sharing knowledge, information and best practices within a variety of different environmental areas:

• Energy use and alternative energy sources
• Emission of air and water pollutants from port operation, vessels at the quayside and sailing the same territorial waters
• Biological diversity and prevalence of invasive species
• Innovative solutions that support sustainable development, e.g., through close collaboration with academia, industry and start-ups

The ten Nordic ports that have signed the declaration are: the Copenhagen Malmö Port, Port of Helsingborg, Faxaports Iceland, Port of Aarhus, Port of Helsinki, Port of Esbjerg, Port of Gothenburg, Ports of Stockholm, Port of Tórshavn, and the Port of Oslo. Thomas Andersson, Ports of Stockholm Managing Director, commented:

“Sustainability issues are crucial, and at the same time extremely complex. To accelerate the work we need to create strong partnerships. The declaration is related to the UN’s global Sustainable Development Goals and signals a strong joint commitment among of some of the largest Nordic ports to act collectively, which strengthens our ability to take the work further.”