The British Ports Association (BPA) published a comprehensive package of case studies of environmental good practice from dozens of UK ports. The BPA will be adding new stories to the pack over time as well as regularly highlighting individual case studies.
This collection of stories shows the tremendous amount of effort ports put into reducing emissions, protecting and enhancing habitats and biodiversity, and tackling waste and marine litter. Much of this work goes unappreciated and we hope that this work will start to highlight some of the everyday effort ports make in delivering positive outcomes for our environment,
…said Mark Simmonds, Head of Policy & External Affairs at the BPA.
The collection of good news stories is drawn from ports across five broad categories:
- Habitats and Biodviersity
- Reducing Emissions
- Renewables
- Research, Collaboration, and Leadership
- Plastics, Waste, and Recycling
Case study: Lerwick’s recycled fenders
For example, one case study is Lerwick’s recycled fenders. Lerwick Port Authority have used an environmentally-friendly, cost-saving fendering solution nearer to home, using recycled tyres, instead of importing from abroad. With long delivery times, imported systems are expensive to buy and install and require frequent maintenance.
Authority staff designed, fabricated and installed the bespoke solution, using two sizes of recycled tyres, in conjunction with the designer and main contractor. Truck tyres were hung two deep, while on the outside faces used by bigger vessels, larger earth-moving machinery tyres were used. Attached by brackets and chains, rapid installation did not require tidal working.
The innovation is in the design of the fixings and ability to switch out tyres more easily. The project required 215 240-kilogram larger tyres and 580 60 kilogram tyres, with a total of more than 86 tonnes of tyres diverted from landfill.
The BPA has also published an online form where ports and BPA associate members working in ports can submit new stories. These will be published on the BPA website and eventually printed in various formats.
These stories were collected from BPA members at the beginning of 2020 but publication was postponed due to COVID-19.
Some of these stories push the boundaries of innovation, others are more routine but they are all important. We hope that this project might inspire others to imitate some of the good work and also submit their own good news stories,
…added Simmonds.