• 2020 September 12 10:47

    Ports reveal huge scale of industry environmental efforts

    From Aberdeen to Ardrossan; Belfast to Blyth, Pembroke to Portsmouth; and Shetland to Southampton; the British Ports Association has today 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. Included in the current collection are:

    • The use of two bubble curtains in the construction of Aberdeen’s new south harbour to protect marine mammals from any harmful effects of the building work
    • ABP’s £6.8 million roof mounted solar array at the Port of Hull
    • Belfast Harbour’s drive towards 100% renewable energy usage and smart electricity generation
    • The installation of the UK’s first intermediate voltage shore power system, in Orkney, as well as smaller shore power systems in Fraserburgh and Lerwick
    • The Port of London’s hybrid pilot cutter, which will cut diesel usage significantly
    • Milford Haven’s environmental surveillance group that has been running for 27 years making the waterway one of the best-studied estuaries in Europe
    • Beach cleaning days run by the ports of Plymouth, Dover, London, Fraserburgh, and ABP
    • PD Ports’ participation in Operation Clean Sweep, which aims to reduce the amount of plastic lost into our seas. The BPA is currently part of a steering group working on a fast-track industry standard with a similar aim, building on this work
    • A number of fishing ports’ participation in the ‘Fishing for Litter’ scheme by KIMO. Participating fishers are given hard wearing bags to collect any plastic waste caught whilst fishing, which is then collected and recycled.
    • Orkney Harbours’ work on monitoring and preventing invasive species
    • Portland Port’s non-native invasive species control plan
    • Salcome Harbour’s eco-mooring facility

    The list goes on. 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  

    Commenting on the project, Mark Simmonds, Head of Policy & External Affairs at the BPA said:
    "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."

    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.

    The BPA has always taken a strong leadership role on environmental matters, championing a balance between sustainable development and economic activity. We were a co-founder of the EcoPorts scheme, led on port stakeholder communications, created the first environment group for port professionals in the world, produced a Sustainability Charter,   promoted coastal shipping and of late we have been looking extensively at air quality issues and shore power.

    This initiative shines the light on some excellent UK port projects and examples. We are hopeful that this initiative will enable other ports to learn from BPA members and join our programme.

    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 whilst the industry and government have been dealing with the immediate challenges presented by COVID-19. Physical boxes of postcards are available from the BPA, and the stories are also published as an e-book and as individual stories on the BPA website.

    The BPA, which represents ports that handle 86% of seaborne trade in the UK and operators that facilitate many other maritime activities, has always taken a strong leadership role on sustainability issues. Collectively the UK ports sector, which is the second largest in Europe, has been one of the world’s leaders in its efforts to minimise its environmental impacts.

    The British Ports Association represents the interests of over 100 port members, covering more than 400 ports, terminal operators and port facilities. The UK ports industry plays a key role in the country’s economy as 95% of the UK’s international trade – imports and exports – is carried through British ports. UK ports also handle more than 60 million international and domestic passenger journeys each year. The UK port industry is the second largest in Europe, handling around 500 million tonnes of freight each year. UK ports directly employ around 115,000 people.




2024 March 29

18:00 SLB announces agreement to acquire majority ownership in Aker Carbon Capture
17:14 “K” Line and Nippon Gas Line establish a marketing company to provide liquefied CO2 transportation services for carbon capture and storage projects
16:47 VTTI and IKAV enter agreement to purchase majority ownership of Adriatic LNG, Italy
16:25 Mitsubishi Shipbuilding receives order from the University of Tokyo for "MiPoLin" power prediction and lines selection system
15:41 Wan Hai Lines holds naming ceremony for 13,100TEU newbuilding “WAN HAI A15”
15:10 MOL announces restructuring measures
14:45 Drewry predicts impact on container calls at US East Coast ports after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge
14:25 Chevron’s first hybrid electric fueling barge arrives in Singapore
13:40 HD KSOE and Infineon sign MoU to develop ship electrification technology
13:29 NYK and JMU formulate method for evaluating ship performance in actual seas
12:59 HD Hyundai wins US$463 mln warship order in Peru
12:09 COSCO SHIPPING Ports throughput up by 4.4% YoY to 135,808,554 TEU in 2023
11:46 The "Ane Maersk" calls at the Eurogate container terminal in Hamburg for the first time on its maiden voyage from Asia to Europe
11:20 Sallaum Lines and Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding commence construction of Ocean Class vessels
10:43 Oasis Marine develops solutions for offshore hydrogen bunkering
10:03 Petrofac secures contract extension with ONEgas West in the UK market

2024 March 28

18:05 Jan De Nul, ENGIE and Equans launch a pilot project centred around the use of Vanadium Redox Flow batteries
17:35 Latvian port equipment manufacturer Bleste introduces new bulk handling ‘bucket’
17:05 Investors upgrade Navios Maritime Partners
16:25 DEME reports 22% increase in the orderbook and a record-high turnover of 3.3 billion euros in 2023
16:14 MABUX: Bunker Outlook, Week 13, 2024
15:41 AD Ports Group announced the opening of Saadiyat Marina & Ferry Terminal and Rabdan Marina
15:11 Sydney invests $11.5 million in two new operational vessels designed by Incat Crowther
14:55 China’s Jinzhao wins Peru $405m port construction contract
14:13 APM Terminals Moín handled six million TEU
13:48 ClassNK grants Innovation Endorsements for Products & Solutions to two innovative initiatives by MOL
13:37 Konecranes launches its flagship Konecranes X-series industrial crane
12:53 United European Car Carriers UECC spearheads collaboration with industry leaders to advance CNSL as a sustainable marine fuel
12:26 Ocean Network Express announces Transpacific service
11:48 Yang Ming announces 2025 Trans-Pacific service network
11:24 Fincantieri signs contract for the supply of two PPAs to Indonesia
10:42 Maersk transported more than 660,000 TEU using clean fuel in 2023
10:23 Documentation delays push industry costs to $3bn
09:48 PONANT and FARWIND Energy partner to develop green hydrogen refueling solutions

2024 March 27

18:22 Bureau Veritas awards world’s first prototype certification for SolarDuck’s floating offshore solar solution
17:58 The recently converted Allseas's shallow water pipelay barge starts preparations for its first commercial project
17:38 The Port of Rotterdam calls on the European Commission and Parliament to focus on actively promoting green energy
15:23 SEFE to become sole shareholder of WIGA
14:53 Ocean Installer secures yet another SLM contract with Equinor
14:23 Cadeler signs offshore wind turbine installation contract for the vessel Wind Scylla
13:42 Carnival Cruise Line orders 5th Excel-class cruise ship
13:11 Maersk and MSC overcharging cargo owners for EU ETS, says T&E
12:52 The Port Authority of Valencia launches the ZAL project in the Port of Valencia
12:11 Clarkson Port Services and Peak Group collaborate to deliver Port Agency services across the North Sea
11:42 Wan Hai Lines holds ship naming ceremony for new vessels
11:24 Consolidated shipping lines EBIT loss was $1.44 billion in Q4 2023: Sea-Intelligence
10:49 Seaspan Shipyards receives long-term contracts for the pre-construction work of the the Canadian Coast Guard's first six multi-mission vessels
10:14 Woodside completes sale of 10% scarborough interest

2024 March 26

18:02 COSCO Shipping Lines introduces new Americas service
17:30 Davie awarded first contract for design of icebreaker fleet under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy
17:04 Sanctions complicate Arctic LNG ship sales, Hanwha Ocean says - Bloomberg
16:57 Terntank places an order for 1+1 additional wind/ methanol-ready hybrid tanker
16:28 BW LNG completes acquisition of two TFDE vessels from Stena Bulk
15:50 Hanwha Ocean develops VR-based special vehicle simulator
15:20 TotalEnergies and SINOPEC join forces to produce sustainable jet fuel at a SINOPEC's refinery
14:52 Wärtsilä Lifecycle Agreement to guarantee operational reliability of new wind farm installation vessel
14:23 Hudong-Zhonghua launches two LNG carriers
13:51 Cargo ship hits Baltimore’s Key Bridge
13:12 Final sanctioned tanker with Russian Sokol oil to reach China port - Reuters
12:42 Adani Ports acquires 95% of Odisha's Gopalpur Port from SP Group for $162 million
12:21 IHI and Yara Clean Ammonia agree to jointly assess clean ammonia business collaboration
11:41 Yara Clean Ammonia and Azane granted safety permit to build world's first low emission ammonia bunkering terminal
11:16 Wartsila and Royal Caribbean Group celebrate 15 years of collaboration on digital transformation
10:46 A global carbon tax on shipping is coming, says ABS Chairman and CEO
10:21 Eni, Fincantieri and RINA establish partnership for maritime transport decarbonization

2024 March 25

18:07 The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore continues to investigate reports of oil spills off the port of Tuas
17:31 “K” Line, NIPPON HAKUYO and OPT Gate sign an agreement for a new fire detection system for car carriers
17:07 Greek merchant fleet recorded slight decline in January 2024
16:47 Hanwha Ocean Plans to develop green technology and naval ships
16:25 U-Ming Singapore and ITOCHU sign milestone MoU for the joint development of ammonia dual-fuel and de-carbonized vessels