Swedish and Finnish ports collaborate
From left: Kari Granberg, Viking Line; Jan Hanses, Viking Line; Sandra Gegerfelt, Ports of Stockholm; Christian Ramberg, Port of Turku; Yrjö Vainiala, Port of Naantali ; Ulf Hagström, Viking Line; Markku Koskinen, Port of HaminaKotka; Markku Alahäme, Port of Turku
Representatives from the ports and Viking Line met recently in Turku, Finland, to launch the EU-funded joint project, which includes construction of wastewater reception facilities and installations to enable RoRo and RoPax ferries to connect to onshore power supply, as well as planning for the reception of scrubber sludge and LNG bunkering. Viking Line, which operates between Turku and the Swedish capital Stockholm, aims to develop a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly RoRo passenger ferry concept.
The shipping industry is moving towards greater environmental sustainability in the face of stricter legislation, the partners noted. The Baltic Sea is designated under Annex IV of MARPOL as a special area, where stringent regulations for wastewater discharge will apply from 2019 for new passenger vessels, and from 2021 for existing ones.
“By investing in environmental services, our ports create the possibility for our customers to not only comply with existing environmental regulations, but also to go beyond legislations. These are important measures to create a sustainable maritime link between Finland and Sweden,” said Christian Ramberg, CEO of Port of Turku Ltd.
The project runs until the end of December 2016 and has been granted EU funding from the Connecting Europe Facility programme to a maximum of EUR 2.65 million.
