Start of two-day sustainability conference for the port and logistics business

The Envoconnect 2024 started today at SailCity in Bremerhaven with roughly 150 attendees, i.e. 30 more than at the premiere last year. “If we continue to increase the number of participants by this percentage every year, we will manage to fill the football stadium in 15 years,” joked bremenports Managing Director Robert Howe at the start of the event, which was organised by the port management company bremenports again this year.

The event kicked off with two political keynote speeches that could not have been more different: “For decades, we have been violating the principles of sustainability – and that is why we are now facing the consequences of climate change.” It is ultimately a question of not using more resources than can be regrown, regenerated or made available again in future”, stressed Kristina Vogt, Bremen’s Senator for Economic Affairs, Ports and Transformation. She pointed out that the ports in particular would play an elementary role in achieving the necessary transition to green power. On the other hand, more climate-friendly processes had to be implemented at the ports themselves. All of this called for commitment and investments. “If we are to succeed, we need all hands on deck, clear framework conditions as well as support from the federal government for the necessary investments.

Daniela Kluckert, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (FDP) confirmed that enormous investments were needed, but also pointed out that the federal budget was the elephant in the room, as it were. Germany’s federal structure was just one reason why the federal government could not simply assume responsibility for these investments. Instead, she proposed, “What we need is growth and more growth – also at the ports. That is how we can make the necessary investments possible,” explained the State Secretary in her political keynote speech.

Before the participants turned their attention to individual sustainability topics from the port and logistics business in the afternoon, Isabelle Ryckbost, Secretary-General of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), gave an overview of the rapidly changing challenges, as well as new and additional tasks facing the ports and maritime shipping. “According to EU requirements, for example, all ports will have to offer shore power to all vessels within the foreseeable future. This means gigantic sums have to be invested right now, a large part of which is undoubtedly justified in the interests of sustainability. But will all the vessels actually use shore power? And does it actually make sense to invest so much money when it is foreseeable that perhaps 20 per cent of the shore power connections will ultimately be used only rarely or not at all, when we could actually invest far more effectively in sustainability elsewhere”, said Ryckbost, addressing this appeal to the politicians. She added, “If there is one thing we have learned from the numerous drastic changes in recent years, it is this: legislation can never be faster than reality. That is why we need a little more calmness and more scope for manoeuvring when making decisions in order to respond to challenges more effectively.”

This year’s Envoconnect will continue until tomorrow afternoon with other interesting and inspiring lectures, panels, sessions and round-table discussions. But quite apart from the technical items on the agenda, the roughly 50 attendees can also look forward to variety, for instance with the presentation of the Green Focus Awards this evening.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE