Gothenburg hoists the green flat high!

The Port of Gothenburg has been engaged in a process of promoting environmentally friendly initiatives since the late 90s.
It all started with the paper manufacturer Stora Enso, who wanted to adopt a green approach at each stage of the supply chain. Gothenburg was then the first port to test electrical connection ashore for ships.

Since them, we have continued to invest in the development of our infrastructure to encourage shipping companies to engage in a virtuous approach on the reduction of air pollution.
When Stena Line expressed a wish to connect their ships dockside, we jointly invested 1.4 million euro to develop dedicated electrical installations.

In January 2011, we opened an electrical installation for the Stena ferry, which operates between Gothenburg and Kiel. From now on, the five Stena ships, car ferries and mixed cargo ships will be connected to a power source ashore, able to adapt the terrestrial frequency of 50 Hz to that of vessels operating on AC 60 Hz. Now, one ship in three calling at Gothenburg will replace diesel-powered generators with green electricity. We take care to use electricity produced by wind turbines to power our five berths.

This initiative not only helps to reduce air pollution, but also noise pollution around the city.

When a ship owner expresses the wish to establish an electrical connection, the port suggests a period of twelve months to construct a power station dockside. Technical advances enable us to make a connection in just minutes.

Our ambition is to ensure that by 2015, 40% of the vessels in our port make use of these power stations. 
Gothenburg takes an active part in the World Port Climate initiative (WPCI) by joining working groups, particularly the one on LNG-powered vessels.

We apply differentiated taxation if the vessel uses clean fuel with a sulphur content of less than 0.1%.
We have been campaigning for the use of these “green” fuels since 2011. Nearly 40 vessels are taking part in the programme and each could receive up to 30,000 euro depending on additional costs.
We provide a budget for ships that meet our criteria and those classified in the directory of clean ships (Clean Shipping Index, CSI). LNG ships, of course, but how do we supply them?

Last June, Swedegaz and Royal Vopak announced their intention to set up a joint venture to create an LNG terminal, which could be completed by 2015.

All initiatives at the Port of Gothenburg deserved to be rewarded on 7th July 2011, for their active policy in this area and their dynamic role in the Baltic and North Sea.

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