This year’s edition of the annual Baltic Ports for Climate Conference concluded today in Gdynia, Poland. Moving to Gdynia after the visit to Tallinn last year, the event is becoming one of the staple positions on the BPO event calendar.

After a a brief welcoming session, featuring speeches by the Mayor of the City of Gdynia, Aleksandra Kosiorek; Katarzyna Gruszecka-Spychała, representing the conference’s host, the Port of Gdynia; and Alan Aleksandrowicz, representing both the Port of Gdańsk and the Baltic Ports Organization as its new Chairman, it was down to business and the programme was truly packed.

Climate policy, port strategy and the ghost fleet

Every tonne counts, in context of the impact of port activities on scope of EU MRV and ETS reporting for shipping. Paying careful attention to emission control, regulatory awareness and infrastructure readiness will be some of the defining factors for keeping the competitive edge, according to DNV Poland. Their comparison of the recent IMO decision-making process to a long, but rather uneventful coffee-break earned quite a few laughs.

An interesting and unique twist on sometimes dry legal and regulatory topics was offered when the conference host took to the stage once again. The presentation detailed the arduous process of removing the abandoned shadow-fleet ship, the tanker m/t Khatanga, from the Port of Gdynia, which included some clever use of the law, particularly declaring the vessel derelict and assuming ownership under the res nullius legal framework.

A further case study illustrated Port of Helsinki‘s ambitious decarbonization strategy, aiming to be 100% carbon neutral by 2025 and achieve a minimum 30% reduction of total CO2 emitted in the harbor by 2030. This effort targets four primary sources: vessels, heavy machinery, heavy traffic, and the Port’s own operations.

Even the best strategy won’t help if you don’t act on it

Demonstrating how to move from strategy towards action, Baltic Hub emphasizes rail infrastructure as “the future” for hinterland development to lower the carbon footprint. Key actions include successive electrification of all yard cranes, purchasing CO2-free electricity, and planning to replace diesel Prime Movers with low-emission alternatives by 2030. The company is also currently testing Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as a transitional fuel.

Carbon tunnel vision, was a term coined by Race for the Baltic. Their presentation highlighted pollution pressures impacting the Baltic Sea, including eutrophication (affecting 97% of the sea and causing the world’s largest human-induced dead zone), and hazardous substances (with 80% of the sea having poor contamination status). The port industry contributes significantly through dredging/dumping (causing seafloor loss/disturbance), discharging scrubber/bilge waters, and handling fertilizers. The core message stressed that these environmental challenges are interconnected.

There were also some palate cleansers of technological and innovative variety, courtesy of the event’s sponsor – Mobile Monitoring – and RedGet, sprinkled inbetween the other presentations and discussion panels. The former took the audience for a ride into the world of AI cameras, sensors and UV drones, while the latter offered their twist on emission calculation via a specialized app.

Experience is everything – insights from the Blue Supply Chains project

The final segment of today’s event doubled as the Final Conference of the Blue Supply Chains project, an initiative funded by the European Interreg BSR Programme.

The critical need to accelerate the energy transition in the maritime sector stood at the center of discussions. The transition remains key, encompassing the shift from fossil fuels to renewable sources such as wind, solar, bioenergy, and hydrogen, and connecting directly to green and energy-efficient mobility like shipping, as stated by Hunter Reinhardt (Interreg BSR).

Blue Supply Chains and its rich partner consortium, aims to aid port authorities and operators in the Baltic Sea Region, actively supporting the decarbonisation of port operations by advancing electrification, providing strategies for alternative fuels, and establishing green transport chains.
All interested stakeholders are encouraged to visit the official project website for more information about its numerous pilot projects and activities, as well as a more detailed summary of the Final Conference.

Containers, containers everywhere!

And suddenly it was a wrap. This year’s Baltic Ports for Climate Conference, hosted by the Port of Gdynia, came to an end. But did it? Not quite. The organizer had one more surprise up their sleeve, offering the interested participants a close-up view and first-hand experience of port and terminal operations. This took place during a study visit to both the Port of Gdynia and the Gdynia Container Terminal.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all participants, speakers, and partners for making this event a success and look forward to seeing you all again next year!

Photos: Port of Gdynia