Port of Amsterdam revealed plans to reduce shipping emissions and minimise environmental impact by working with the shipping sector. In its Clean Shipping Vision for 2030, the Port describes how it intends to achieve its sustainability objectives through concrete actions, such as reducing emissions of docked sea cruise ships by 50%.
As explained, the North Sea Canal Area has a major environmental impact on the surrounding environment due to the presence of industries, an airport and a sea port.
The Clean Shipping Vision has a wide scope that encompasses emissions from ships themselves and those associated with port activities, such as loading and unloading. The target year for Port of Amsterdam’s ambitions has been set at 2030.
One of the port’s objectives is to achieve a reduction in nitrogen (NOx), sulphur (SOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions of up to 50% of sea cruise ships docked in Amsterdam by 2018, the year in which the baseline measurement will be made. It is assumed that by 2030 the environmental performance of all seagoing vessels that enter the Port is at least equivalent to that of the current, most environmentally friendly ships.
Another objective is to decrease noise and air pollution caused by the use of diesel generators at public berths inside the Amsterdam ring road to virtually zero by 2018.
To achieve these objectives, the port eyes infrastructural investments, such as the availability of LNG bunkering facilities and ship-to-shore power. EUR10 million will be earmarked for this purpose until 2021. Also, the existing incentive programme for promoting cleaner shipping will be expanded further and LNG-fueled vessels will receive additional discount on port dues.
Marleen van de Kerkhof, Port of Amsterdam Harbour Master: ‘The Clean Shipping Vision is an ambitious plan that contributes to making our environment more sustainable and is essential to maintaining our licence to operate and licence to grow. It enables us to contribute to improving the sustainability of the logistics chain and future-proofing our city, our port and our region for current and future generations.’
