New efforts to reduce nutrient emissions

Insightful visit at the Klaipeda Port Authorities. Photo: John Nurminen Foundation

Port project members continued to visit terminals around the Baltic Sea. We were invited by the terminals in Szczecin Port in Poland and Port of Klaipeda in Lithuania for site visits and roundtable discussions about potential joint projects to reduce the nutrient emissions when handling bulk cargo in ports. We now will prioritize the identified projects based on their impact efficiency and subsequently aim to implement the projects that will have the maximum return for the Baltic Sea.

We are pleased to report that one of the concrete results from previous dialogues is an agreement with a terminal in Gdansk Port to construct a prevention cover between quay and ship that can be unfolded when a vessel is offloading its cargo of dry bulk fertilizer. The cover will be installed and begin to have effect in Q1 2023.

We also decided to organize a workshop with John Nurminen Foundation and Coalition Clean Baltic on how to minimize nutrient losses from dry bulk fertilizer storage and handling in ports in the Baltic Sea. The workshop is supported by HELCOM and will be held on March 14 in Gdynia, Poland.

As mentioned in a previous newsletter, Race For The Baltic was asked to advise HELCOM on their “Best Available Technologies / Best Environmental Practices” (BAT/BEP) document. Together with John Nurminen Foundation and Coalition Clean Baltic, we provided input on how nutrient losses from dry bulk fertilizer storage and handling in ports in the Baltic Sea can be minimized. In our presentation, our organisations proposed to organise a workshop regarding the matter for the industry, authorities, and other stakeholders. The workshop was approved and endorsed by HELCOM.

Additionally, Race For The Baltic and John Nurminen Foundation held a presentation about the Port project and the upcoming HELCOM workshop for the Baltic Ports Organization (BPO) internal environmental working group. In the meeting BPO gladly agreed to help organize and be a part of the workshop.

If you are interested in more information about the workshop or would like to participate, please reach out to julia@raceforthebaltic.com.