Press release -
Port of Gothenburg wins environmental award in Austria
Late on Friday evening it was announced that the Port of Gothenburg was one of the winners in the prestigious Energy Globe Awards 2011 for its work on shoreside power connection for vessels at berth. The award, EUR 10,000 and a 17 kg bronze statue, was presented at a gala in Austria.
Susann Dutt, Sustainability Manager at the Port of Gothenburg, was there to receive the award:
"It is incredibly gratifying and an honour to receive this prestigious award. The fact that we been so successful with shoreside power supply can be attributed to the close collaboration between the Port and our customers. Hopefully, the attention this will attract will contribute to more ports and shipping companies investing in shoreside power supply.
The award attracted keen competition. Almost 1,000 entries were received from 105 countries. The Port of Gothenburg was the winner in the Air category.
The jury is chaired by Maneka Gandhi, Minister of the Environment in India, and comprises an expert panel made up of representatives from bodies that include the UN, the World Bank and the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC).
The reason given was:
The Energy Globe World Awards aim to promote clean, renewable energy sources and are awarded in five categories: Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Youth. The awards have been presented since 1999 and are now one of the world's most prestigious environmental awards.
Fact file: Shoreside power supply at the Port of Gothenburg
During a 10-hour stopover, the diesel engines on one single vessel can generate up to 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Shutting down the engines and using shoreside power instead offers considerable environmental benefits. In 2000, the Port of Gothenburg was the first port in the world to offer a high-voltage shoreside power supply. That was the year that Stora Enso connected its vessels to shoreside power. In 2011, a further step was taken towards cleaner shipping when Stena Line inaugurated a completely new facility for shoreside power supply to the company's new ferries on their Sweden-Germany route. In total, one-third of the vessels that put into the Port of Gothenburg have the opportunity to shut down their diesel engines whilst at the quayside and instead use a land-based power supply on board.
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Fact file: Port of Gothenburg
The Port of Gothenburg is the largest port in the Nordic region with 11,000 visits by vessels each year. One-third of Swedish foreign trade passes through the Port of Gothenburg as well as 65 per cent of all container traffic.
The Port of Gothenburg is the only port in Sweden with the capacity to receive the world's largest container vessels and has the broadest range of shipping routes within and outside Europe. The 26 rail shuttles that depart each day mean that companies throughout Sweden and Norway have a direct, environmentally smart link to the largest port in the Nordic region. The Port of Gothenburg has terminals for oil, cars, ro-ro, containers and passengers.
