BPO presents an experience from the Baltic greenfield projects at IAPH World Ports Conference
The 30th IAPH World Ports Conference, carrying the theme “Enabling Trade. Energizing the World.”, is under way during this week in Indonesia. Held over this week, the conference addresses a wide array of topics relevant to the future of the global port industry. The Baltic Ports Organization says it has been invited to present the Baltic region a green ports concept plus greenfield port investments.
The IAPH conference has been envisaged as a platform for stakeholders from all branches of the maritime industry to exchange their experiences, best practices and insights defining the current state of the sector. Main topics discussed during the event include greenfield port projects, effects Special Economic Zones have on port growth, hinterland connectivity, multimodal logistics, evolution of the global shipping industry and shipping routes as well as collaboration opportunities leading to strengthening of cooperation and sustainable development among ports.
It is on the topic of greenfield port projects that the Baltic Ports Organization had the chance to share its expertise. Recent changes in the maritime industry created a need for the ports to serve increasingly larger vessels, provide deeper channels and increase the efficiency of equipment and infrastructure. Greenfield investments are the answer of many countries, anticipating a rise in demand and technological evolution, seeing them as a way of benefiting from the current market state.
There has been a variety of successful greenfield port projects executed in the Baltic Sea region. This is no small accomplishment considering the complexity and multitude of challenges attributed to such undertakings. Innovation in both the construction and future port operation processes being a direct consequence of employed innovative technologies are integral parts of highly sophisticated planning procedures.
Greenfield port projects in the Baltic region are a direct result of a few key factors. New port capacities, due to new and growing markets in Central and Eastern Europe and Russia, as well as the development of big energy projects linked to the LNG industry have directly contributed to the need for establishing of new ports. Additionally, the constant growth of cities necessitates the relocation of port facilities. Some of the major greenfield projects in the Baltic region include the Vuosaari Harbour in Helsinki, the DCT Terminal in Gdansk, the Stockholm Norvik Port, the Port of Ust-Luga and the LNG Terminal in Swinoujscie.
Bogdan Ołdakowski, BPO Secretary General said: “Ports and other stakeholders from all over the Baltic region have acquired a vast amount of knowledge related to planning and execution of greenfield projects. BPO is willing to share this experience with the rest of the world in order for the whole port industry to profit from it, especially in countries like Indonesia with an ambitious program for port development. It is absolutely in line with the BPO policy to promote Baltic as a model region for green ports”.
Nearly a thousand delegates are participating in the IAPH World Ports Conference 2017 taking place this week in Nusa Dua, Indonesia. IAPH was formed in 1955 and over the last sixty years has grown into a global alliance representing over 180 members ports and 140 port related businesses in 90 countries. The principal aim of IAPH revolves around promotion of the interests of ports worldwide, building strong member relationships and sharing best practices among its members.
