Global supply chains are becoming increasingly "green”
Sustainable port development was one of the central topics at the Maritime Week in Hong Kong. The German Chamber of Commerce, Invest Hong Kong and Port of Hamburg Marketing (HHM) also dedicated a hybrid seminar to this topic as part of the annual Maritime Week, followed by a joint evening reception. HHM representative Anne Thiesen and Johannes Hack, President of the German Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, hosted the event.
As an integral part of the Greater Bay Area and a leading maritime centre in Asia, Hong Kong is a strong trading partner of Germany, and Hamburg in particular. The two port cities share a key role in driving the low-carbon transformation in the coming years, with a view to achieving the ambitious targets set out in the German Climate Change Act and Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050, respectively.
In his welcome address, the Honourable Mr. Lam Sai-hung, GBS, JP, Secretary for Transport and Logistics in Hong Kong, outlined the measures taken by the Port of Hong Kong to further its journey towards sustainability. He especially highlighted smart solutions that not only increase the efficiency of the port's handling processes but also ensure greater environmental protection.
Angela Titzrath, Chairwoman of the Executive Board of HHLA AG, concurred with his statements. She additionally stressed how important cooperation between the ports will be in the future in order to jointly create sustainable structures. "When facing the major international challenges of today, such as climate change, we should take every opportunity to expand our partnerships," HHLA’s chairwoman said. This was also confirmed by Stefanie Seedig, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Hong Kong and Axel Mattern, CEO at HHM in both their welcoming addresses.
During the hybrid seminar titled "Green Logistics Solutions from Germany" that took place before the evening reception, experts presented solutions for more sustainability that are already being implemented or are currently under development. They emphasised that everyone involved in the maritime logistics chain is already working hard to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions and will continue to do so in the future to identify further solutions.
