The 78th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), approved the designation of the Mediterranean Sea Emission Control Area for Sulphur Oxides and Particulate Matter (Med SOx ECA) on the 10^th of June. The area will cover the entirety of the Mediterranean Sea, from the Gibraltar to the waiting zone of the Suez Canal. To achieve this low emissions zone, the Sulphur content in fuel oil used on board ships operating within the Med SOx ECA will have to be lowered to 0.10% m/m. This could lead to up to a 78.7 % drop in SOx emissions. There would be significant benefits for nature, human health, air pollution, ocean acidification, and agriculture.

On 14 June, the two ports signed a collaboration and twinning agreement. The partnership came about as a result of the port of Saguenay’s desire to take inspiration from the best examples of sustainable development in the maritime industry. A delegation from the port of Aalborg travelled to the port of Saguenay for the official signing. In addition to their willingness to work together, the two organisations share numerous similarities. Both ports are located on rivers, near similarly sized urban centres, surrounded by a vast intermodal industrial port zone. The twinning arrangement aims to create a long term channel for communication on the issues of technological innovation and industrial port best practices.

Two months ago, massive flooding claimed several hundred lives in the province of KwaZulu-Natal and put the port of Durban out of action for days. A solution to maintain the supply chain in the event of extreme weather is now being rolled out at the port. It takes the shape of a floating mini-container terminal, designed by Sandock Austral Shipyards. The platform should only require three workers to deploy and could process some 168 TEUs, as well as solid bulk cargo if necessary. Finally, the platform would be self-powered, meaning it could keep running even in the event of power outages, which occur frequently during extreme climatic phenomena.

In early June, NTU Singapore and the Singapore Land Authority joined forces to launch an environmental data collection project.  For the last year, the government has been working on a coastal protection plan to limit the damage caused by rising sea levels. The geospatial data collected will be used to protect mangroves and coral reefs that shield the coastline from waves, build new polders, and conduct climate research.

In March, the port of Helsinki took the decision to accelerate its programme aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, originally adopted in 2019. To neutralise its carbon footprint by 2030 instead of 2035, the port will focus on modernising its heating and lighting systems, and securing a green energy supply. This decision will bring the port into line with the city of Helsinki, which is basing its sustainable development strategy heavily on renewable energies. At the end of this first phase, the port will strengthen its efforts to cut ship emissions by 25% and heavy vehicles and machinery emissions by 50%.