Rotterdam will host congress to reduce ships’ emissions

Rotterdam - The first World Ports Climate Action Programme (WPCAP) congress will take place in Rotterdam next May. The starting signal for the WPCAP was given in September 2018 at the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s initiative.

Eleven leading European and American ports have now become affiliated with WPCAP: Antwerp, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Le Havre, Barcelona, Gothenburg, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Vancouver and New York & New Jersey. The ports are working on plans to reduce CO2 emissions from shipping and ports and improve air quality.

In the coming spring they will take stock of what has been achieved and will share the results with interested ports, the shipping sector and authorities (port cities and national governments). Agreements will then also need to be made about the follow-up. The Port of Rotterdam Authority is currently Chair of WPCAP and has taken the initiative for this congress.

The five WPCAP working groups currently developing measures are examining topics including efficiency in shipping turnaround time in ports, making loading and unloading of vessels climate neutral, shore power, and alternative fuels. By sharing knowledge, developing joint projects, developing policy and involving the shipping sector in this, the ports expect to be able to achieve more concrete progress than if ports did this individually. Rotterdam has a long list of achievements with respect to measures to improve air quality and its projects to reduce CO2 emissions. But the shipping sector is an international sector; to have a big impact, European or preferably global cooperation is needed.