International GreenPort Congress: Hamburg, the European Green Capital, Presents Strategies for Portal Environmental Protection

HAMBURG, Germany, September 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

More than 200 experts from all over the world are due to participate in the 6th GreenPort Congress, to be held on 14 and 15 of September in Hamburg. The conference will focus on effective approaches to environmental and climate protection in ports, e.g. strategies for reducing the emission of harmful greenhouse gases in ports. Quite aptly, Hamburg holds the title "European Green Capital 2011", which had been awarded by the European Commission as a tribute to its dedicated climate protection scheme. Europe's third-largest container port is one of the world's pioneers in terms of sustainability and proves that environmental protection and economic success can go hand in hand.

Topics to be addressed include ship emissions and the use of alternative resources such as liquid natural gas or battery-run terminal facilities. Another focus will be the ecological impact of urban ports. (http://www.greenport.com)

The GreenPort Congress will be hosted by the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), supported by the European port associations ESPO, EFIP and ECOPorts. "Over the last couple of years, sustainability has become more and more topical for ports," says Jens Meier, managing director of HPA. "Today, sustainability has become a key competitive factor, and companies are paying more attention to creating a green logistics chain. Here, the port of Hamburg is taking on a leading role."

Examples of solutions made in Hamburg include the use of sulphur-free fuel, equipping mooring spaces with a land power connection, calculating port fees based on eco-friendliness, the use of container taxis for inner-port transportation, battery-run automated guided vehicles and container terminals that run on renewable energy alone.  

The title of "European Green Capital 2011" has been primarily bestowed to Hamburg due to its climate protection scheme. As a growing port and industrial hub, the city has managed to cut CO2 emissions by 15 percent since 1990. Until the year 2020, emissions are planned to be reduced even by 40 percent. (http://www.hamburggreencapital.eu).

Hamburg Marketing GmbH
Guido Neumann
Phone: +49-40-411-110-617
Mobile: +49-160-972-983-02
guido.neumann@marketing.hamburg.de