During the World Ports Climate Action Program (WPCAP) online conference on 2 February 2020, collaborators announced that plan to take new series of climate change actions.
To remind, World Ports Climate Action Program (WPCAP) is an international initiative of eleven leading ports that are working on plans to reduce CO2 emissions from shipping and ports and improve air quality.
As explained, WPCAP focuses on clear actions to combat climate change. Port coalitions work on specific projects, involving as much as possible shipping lines, terminals and energy providers in order to maximize impact.
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However, during a recent meeting, the working groups presented a series of new actions, which are the following:
Energy efficiency
The first agreement was made on the topic of enhanced energy efficiency. The group noted work being undertaken by the IMO Global Industry Alliance to support Low Carbon Shipping (GIA) and subject matter experts of ports, terminals and shipping.
This work is about identifying nine measures that ports could take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. These measures will first be discussed with interest groups and advocacy organisations from both ports and shipping sector by the end of February during an IMO GIA meeting.
Power-to-ship
The working group assessed the financial benefits if ports would work much more together in power-to-ship coalitions. Substantial cost reductions are possible if technology is used at a large scale and the pace of implementation is increased in a coordinated manner.
Hamburg, Antwerp, Le Havre and Rotterdam will take this work to the next level, meaning working together on investment plans and jointly approach ship owners as power-to-ship means adjustments both in ports and on ships.
Incentives
The policy working group stressed that policy instruments remain an important tool to stimulate emission reductions in the maritime industry, using for instance incentives, pricing policies and regulations – taking in mind guiding principles of competition law. The WPCAP CEO’s made it clear that there are various ways to achieve results on this topic.
Alternative fuels
On the topic of accelerating and growing the use of sustainable marine fuels for deep-sea/ocean-going vessels, agreement was made to continue the direction of working together with all customers of the ports. CEO’s committed also to intensify the need for alternative fuels in their own engagements with for instance shipping lines.
“Behind the Covid wave, there is a bigger wave coming: global warming. We want to play an active role in addressing that situation. Not waiting for regulation but take control over our own destiny. Our network of leading international ports has gained critical mass to realise change successfully.”.
…said Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
Concluding, ports that have joined the action-oriented network form an impressive global spread, namely: Antwerp, Barcelona, Gothenburg, Hamburg, HAROPA port of Le Havre, Long Beach, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Rotterdam, Valencia, Vancouver, and Yokohama.
