Cruise ports discuss how to reduce emissions and form better partnerships at GreenPort Cruise 2017
By
Rebecca Gibson |
LNG fuel will be the key to the sustainable growth of the cruise industry, according to discussions at the GreenPort Cruise 2017 conference, which was held at the Port of Amsterdam in the Netherlands on 10 October.
GreenPort Cruise 2017 opened with an address from the port’s cruise director Alma Prins, who outlined the benefits the rapidly expanding cruise industry has brought to Amsterdam and the wider region. She then explored the challenges associated with ensuring this growth continues to be sustainable.
Prins also highlighted the port’s efforts to provide adequate LNG bunkering facilities to enable cruise ships refuel easily while berthed in Amsterdam, and to reduce emissions in the city.
Similarly, the Port of Piraeus’s general manager Stavros Hatzakos explained how the port is working to provide cruise ships with the necessary refuelling infrastructure and participating in the POSEIDON MED-II project to help Greece develop a regulatory framework for LNG bunkering.
“LNG is the only way to meet existing and upcoming requirements for sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and carbon dioxide,” said Hatzakos.
During a separate session Michael Schaap, commercial director of marine at Titan LNG, showcased how his company’s Flexfueler technology will help bring bunkering technology to the masses via a non-propelled pontoon that can be moved to wherever the cruise ships are located.
“One of the troubles with LNG is that infrastructure is not yet sufficient for cruising outside of Europe,” said Schaap. “But the technology we are working on is the stepping stone for LNG bunkering in a port, providing a low-cost solution to enable refuelling.”
Meanwhile, the Port of Barcelona’s head of environmental affairs Jordi Vila explored how port authorities can improve their partnerships with other partners and organisation in cities by regularly communicating and collaborating with them.
“The best we can do as ports is to be active in incentivising greener vessels, promote the use of LNG and shorepower for smaller vessels,” he said.