Echoes through time

The re-launch of the EcoPorts brand within the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO) announced at the GreenPort Conference in Venice is both a cause for celebration – and an opportune time to review the substantive contribution that EPF made to the cause of environmental protection and sustainability in the port sector.

The EcoPorts concept of “ports working together to share knowledge and experience with the aim of continual improvement of the port environment through effective management’” has evolved on a continuous basis since -1996. From the outset, this port sector-driven initiative has been more than an idealistic notion, it has been a functioning network of port professionals focussed on the development of practicable tools and methodologies specifically designed to deliver a harmonized approach to environmental management through the application of best practices. Like the pulse of a SONAR beam, the EcoPorts message has penetrated the port complex repeating the benefits of collaboration and bouncing back off different targets allowing the sector to chart its progress in the challenge to deliver compliance with legislation and continuous improvement of environmental quality.

With the declared policy of achieving compliance through voluntary, self-regulation, the sector can demonstrate eighteen years of port-inspired activities that have evolved into a thriving network of international collaboration with benefits from experience being implemented at local level, and hard-earned experience from the ports being fed-back into the loop for consideration by national and international organizations.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENCHMARK EVENTS BY THE EUROPEAN PORT SECTOR

Putting Environmental policy into practice

• 1993 ECEPA (Environmental Challenges for Port Authorities). Port-sector collaborative initiative research between ports from different EU States
• 1994 ESPO Environmental Code of Practice 1996Eco-information Project. EC R&D project co-sponsored by port sector
• 1998 Self Diagnosis Methodology – development and evaluation
• 1999 Completion of Eco-Information Project and creation of a permanent structure: Ecoports Foundation
• 2001 ESPO Review (further recommendations on environmental management)
• 2002 EcoPorts Project. Major R&D project to deliver practicable tools for EMS
• 2003 ESPO Revised Environmental Code of Practice with recommendations for best practice
• 2004 ESPO Conference, Rotterdam and First EPF Conference, Barcelona
• 2005 EPF Secretariat and Second EPF Conference, Marseille
• 2006 ESPO Conference, Stockholm and EPF Conference, Genoa
• 2008 GreenPort with EcoPorts Conference including NoMEport results
• 2009 ESPO Review of environmental benchmark performance
• 2010 EPF/EcoPOrts transition to ESPO. Port Performance Indicators (PPRISM) R&D Project
• 2011 ESPO new EcoPorts portal launched (www.ecoports.com)

The list of benchmark events summarises the activities, products and services developed by EcoPorts including the network of collaboration, the conferences, workshops and seminars, the EC and port sector-funded R&D projects that have delivered the tools and methodologies, the training courses, analytical and certification schemes, and the on-going research and environmental management support services available to ESPO member ports (www.ecoports.com). The hallmark products of the Self-Diagnosis Methodology (SDM) and the Port Environmental Review System (PERS) continue to demonstrate the sector’s credentials for delivering quality assurance of its environmental management. EcoPorts can reasonably claim to be the epitome of a framework for mutual assistance. Port professionals, university academics, port and environmental specialists, and project managers have worked together on the series of R&D projects to take ideas and concepts from research meetings, evaluate and validate practicable tools in the port area, and implement effective management programmes to deliver policy objectives. EcoPorts has also played a major role in the alliance of port organizations working together to produce a ‘level playing field’ of legislative implementation and ‘fixed goal-posts’ in terms of objectives and targets. EcoPorts’ close cooperation with the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO) has also produced useful Environmental Reviews that have tracked the environmental benchmark performance of the sector and identified significant issues of common interest.

EcoPorts has monitored the evolving environmental challenge and sought to be proactive in developing strategies to take into account the need to address liabilities and responsibilities related to the port area, the wider port community, and to the range of players that make up the Logistic Chain. Closer integration of the management of safety, health, environment and security is another emerging theme along with the on-going need to demonstrate compliance, and reduce costs and risks. EcoPorts acknowledges the synergies with, and achievements of, other port environmental players including, amongst others, the American Association of Port Authorities (www.aapa-ports.org), The International Association of Ports and Harbours (www.iaphworldports.org), and The World Association of Waterborne transport Infrastructure (www.pianc.org). In this context, the tools and methodologies such as SDM and PERS available to European and adjacent port members via www.ecoports.com, are available to ports outside Europe via the newly established, not-for-profit organization, ECO Sustainable Logistic Chain (ECO-SLC) at www.ecoslc.eu and email: info.ecoslc@gmail.com.

In its new configuration within ESPO, EcoPorts Tools are well placed to continue to assist both the sector and the individual port authority in their endeavors to deliver high quality environmental management. The same tools and methodologies are available to the international port community via ECO-SLC. It is encouraging to see that the port sector continues to set its own standards, establish benchmark performance, share experience and retain the initiative at a global scale in its role as a major player in the Logistic Chain.

Christopher Wooldridge and Marti Puig Duran

Cardiff University, UK