120 cruise, port and terminal operators, cruise lines, industry organisations, NGOs and suppliers to the sector came together in Copenhagen on 6th of October, 2015 for the 3rd GreenPort Cruise Conference.
As part of the 10th GreenPort Congress, the Greenport Cruise Conference, in association with Malmo Port, highlighted the innovations in equipment and technology that allow port users to adhere to environmental policy, whilst illustrating practical solutions through case studies from the global logistics chain.
Patrick Hicks, founder of GreenPort and moderator of this year’s GreenPort Cruise event, kicked off the day’s proceedings with a welcome and a quick introduction to the first panel.
ECA compliance
Arnt Møller Pedersen, COO Cruise and Ferries from Copenhagen Malmö Port, took to the stage in the first session to explain why Denmark punches above its weight in the maritime sector.
He said that the sulphur directive has already had a dramatic impact in Copenhagen with air sulphur levels down by 60% in the past year.
Dealing with waste
Thanos Pallis, Secretary General of MedCruise, began the second session of the day with a discussion of the issues surrounding the treatment of waste from cruise ships.
Dr Wei Chen, future programme development manager for Wärtsilä Water Systems, took a look at the management of cruise ships’ black and grey water. Most cruise ships have only enough storage space for two or three days. But constraints will become tighter under Marpol Annex IV.
Innovative terminal designs
Session three focused on innovative cruise terminal designs and saw Yoss Leclerc, VP and chief of maritime operations, Quebec Port Authority, outline the planned expansion of the Ross Gaudreault Cruise Terminal.
The complexity caused by handling up to eight vessels a day, along with the increasing size of cruise vessels is a challenge that the port authority must address.
“For several years we have tried to bring outside actors into the cruise industry,” said Mr Leclerc. “2014 was the first time we were able to bring not just the marine sector but also the province and the federal government to engage in a discussion on cruise operations.”
Panel discussion
Session four saw a lively panel discussion take place which focused on collaboration between cruise lines, cruise terminal operators, port authorities and port cities.
Adam Sharp, head of port operations and guest port services – EMEA, Royal Caribbean Cruises, summed up the feeling of the day quite well in his statement:
“There’s starting to be an assumption that we should be doing our utmost [on sustainability] whether or not there’s a tangible advantage in customer perception.”
GreenPort Cruise organisers, Mercator Media Ltd would like to thank this year’s host port, Copenhagen Malmö Port, as well as the Cruise supporters, Assoporti, Cruise Europe, BP2S Bureau Promotion du Shortsea Shipping, Danish Ports Association, Danish Maritime Days, EcoPorts, EFIP, ESPO, German Shipowners’ Association (VDR), International Windship Association, MedCruise, SGMF.
GreenPort Congress has kicked off in Copenhagen, and will run from Wednesday 7 October until Friday 9 October.
Sourc & Image Credit: GreenPort Congress
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