The World Port Climate Action Program (WPCAP) will be extended with a new focus on shore power, new fuels and green shipping corridors. This was agreed by the CEOs and leaders of 12 leading ports at a meeting in Rotterdam on the occasion of the first five years of the program. WPCAP members praised the program for its important contribution to the adoption of sustainability standards in the shipping industry, Haropa Port said in a media release.
Faster adoption of shore power
In the past years, WPCAP has significantly contributed to the faster adoption of shore power at ports, helping to reduce emissions of CO2 and pollutants while ships are at berth. WPCAP members developed a global overview of existing facilities and best practice guidelines on their technical, operational and economic implementation and ports in Northwest Europe agreed on the faster adoption of shore power in an MoU.
The CEOs discussed the benefits of shore power, including improved air quality and a better working environment for shipping crews. They also exchanged views on stimulating its further adoption, noting that terminals and shipping lines also have an important role to play in this. A recent study from CE Delft for the WPCAP working group shows that shore power will be part of the long-term maritime fuel mix and especially when ships will have to shift to expensive fossil free fuels. The working group is bringing this message to the maritime shipping industry and continues advocating its global implementation.
Setting the standard for cleaner fuels
The second focus area for WPCAP in the coming years is to facilitate the bunkering and adoption of cleaner fuels. The ports have worked with the IAPH Clean Marine Fuels working group to create a Port Readiness Framework, a self-assessment and communications tool that allows various stakeholders to understand the different levels of research, development and deployment of new fuels at ports around the world.
The tool is expected to be ready for voluntary use by ports towards the end of the year.
Green Corridors to play a key role in the transition
Where the fuel readiness framework will set the standard for the bunkering of new fuels, green corridor initiatives are seen as key to facilitate the deployment of fuels in practice, particularly on longer international shipping routes.
The need for regional leadership and cooperation
The CEOs called on regional coalitions of the willing to set standards and lead the way for the IMO and the international shipping industry to put in place regulation that will allow the sustainable development of the industry in a level playing field. The need for a just transition was also emphasized in the discussion, noting the southern hemisphere should also benefit in particular from opportunities in the development of renewable energy sources and fuels. Cooperation between global ports, IAPH and other front runners will play a key role in this.
WPCAP is a cooperation of leading international ports which exchange best practices and act as front runners in reducing emissions from the shipping industry. Members are the ports of Antwerp – Bruges, Barcelona, Gothenburg, Hamburg, HAROPA PORT (Le Havre – Rouen – Paris), Long Beach, Los Angeles, New York / New Jersey, Rotterdam, Valencia, Vancouver and Yokohama.