Innovation at terminals is a reality with container terminal operators evolving in a highly competitive environment and deploying tremendous efforts to adapt their terminals to the ever-growing size of vessels and its cascading effects, according to a new study by ETF, IDC, FEPORT and ESPO.
Sotiris Raptis presents the ten key priorities of European ports toward a more sustainable management, according to the latest environmental report published annually by ESPO. One of the findings that is worth noticing is that air quality, which was not an issue back in 1996, it is now in the agenda remaining a first priority since 2013.
The European Sea Ports Organisation published a report focusing on the need for coherence and coordination between transport policy and other policies at EU level (Environment, Customs, Competition, Energy, Maritime Affairs, Research), whereas it also highlights the importance of the European ports and the benefits they provide for the European countries.
ESPO congratulated the Port of Ceuta (Spain), Shannon Foynes Port Company (Ireland) and Port of Melilla (Spain) for receiving EcoPorts’ environmental management standard. Isabelle Ryckbost, ESPO’s Secretary General, Eamonn O’Reilly, ESPO’s Chairman, and Sotiris Raptis, EcoPorts coordinator, handed over the PERS certificates to the ports’ representatives during the annual ESPO Conference in Livorno.
ESPO announced that it supports the European plea for immediate and harmonized action on the basis of scientific evidence available with regard to the impact of liquid discharges from scrubbers on water quality. For this reason, it backs the EU proposal to bring the issue to the IMO. The scrubber discharges into the water is currently triggering different approaches and measures in the EU Member States, ESPO’s Secretary General, Isabelle Ryckbost, believes.
ESPO welcomed the Common Understanding between the European Parliament and the Council on the future Connecting Europe Facility (CEF II). On 25 March, the European Parliament’s Transport and Industry Committees confirmed the partial agreement, which sets out the EU’s funding priorities and modalities in the transport sector for the period 2021-2027. The precise budget will be negotiated under the new Parliament.
ESPO welcomes the agreement reached, on 7 February, between the Parliament and the Council on the new regulation establishing a European Maritime Single Window environment. The new framework will enable the decrease of administrative burden and increase the attractiveness of maritime transport. It provides for the creation of a EMSWe dataset, harmonised National Single Windows and the application of the reporting-only-once principle.
ESPO has not taken a stance on whether the Consortia Block Exemption Regulation should expire or be prolonged, but stressed the need for more monitoring of the current situation, in particular as regards the impact on the market power balance and the benefits for the consumer.
In the discussion on the European Maritime Single Window proposal, MEPs have issued an amendment introducing an EU level access point interface, in addition to the new harmonised interface that will be developed at European level for the national single windows (NSW). The ports of Hamburg, Antwerp and Rotterdam urge the European Transport Committee to vote against the European Maritime Single Window, according to Port of Rotterdam’s statement.
ESPO welcomed the development towards better enforcement and less administrative burden under the new Port Reception Facilities Directive, as agreed between the Parliament and the Council on 12 December. However, it regrets that the polluter will not fully pay the cost.
