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Congress profile
SUPPORTING THE SUSTAINABLE TRANSITION
GreenPort talks to Dries De Smet, sustainable transition expert at Port of Antwerp-Bruges about why it is well placed to host this year’s GreenPort Congress & Cruise conference
Why is the Port of Antwerp-Bruges well placed to host the GreenPort Congress and Cruise conference this year?
APort of Antwerp-Bruges is more than a port, more than transport, more than tonnes, more than teus. And it’s not just about profit, money and jobs. As one of Europe’s most important ports, we have an essential social role to play: we are a port made up of people, for people. We intend to become the first port in the world to reconcile people, climate and economy.
Port of Antwerp-Bruges is transitioning from being a passive landlord to an active community builder, becoming the ‘glue’ in ambitious sustainability projects starting out from Antwerp and Zeebrugge and with the potential to become international trailblazers. Our ultimate goal? To become Europe’s green energy gateway. This is why we are working on pioneering flagship projects focused on carbon capture and storage (CCS), the circular economy, waste heat, alternative marine fuels and green hydrogen, the energy of the future.
What does the port hope to facilitate by holding the conference?
Except from sharing our expertise on different topics, we also want to increase the importance of strategic partnerships. We are the first world port to reconcile people, climate and economy, but we don’t want and don’t can do this on our own. We strongly believe in partnerships. We must tackle the challenges of tomorrow together.
QCan you please explain how since the two ports have merged in April 22, the ports’ environmental strategies
have been amalgamated?
AEvery now and then, one plus one is three. Achieving further added value is also the stated ambition of the recently merged Port of Antwerp-Bruges. In the long run, we
Photo: Port of Antwerp-Bruges
want to become the green energy gateway to Western Europe – thanks to the expertise and complementarity of both platforms. In the long run, we need to completely move away from all fossil fuels. It’s the only way we can achieve a climate-neutral society. While we can obviously generate large amounts of green energy here in Europe, for a highly energy-intensive region like ours, the local supply of wind and solar energy will not be enough to complete the transition in time. We thus need to get that green energy from outside Europe also. This is where an energy source such as hydrogen comes into the picture.
Our recently merged port has several aces in its hand when it comes to importing large volumes of hydrogen. In Zeebrugge, thanks to its location right by the sea, we can take in very large volumes of hydrogen for shipping to users in neighbouring countries. Antwerp not only has several hydrogen receiving terminals, but also several very large industrial companies operating in the port area which use hydrogen as an energy source. Whereas Antwerp can immediately receive hydrogen carriers such as ammonia or methanol with its existing terminals, Zeebrugge has the advantage of its direct access to the sea. Large volumes of both gaseous and liquefied hydrogen can be unloaded here with just a few adjustments to the infrastructure. Once they arrive in Zeebrugge, liquefied hydrogen can be reconverted into hydrogen and oxygen, after which the hydrogen can be transported to end users via pipelines.
Which key green targets are next on the agenda for the port?
In Zeebrugge, we want to develop a site to produce green hydrogen locally by 2024. To this end, the Colruyt Group and Fluxys, among others, have joined forces. They hope to ultimately produce 25 megawatts using green energy. This is set to be a true pioneering project for mainland
Q A
8 The port is
working on greening its fl eet with a hydrogen and methanol powered tugboat, pictured Hydrotug
Europe. This hydrogen will also be transported from Zeebrugge to Antwerp and beyond. We also have ambitious plans to substantially reduce CO2 emissions in the port of Antwerp through the massive capture and storage of CO.
In terms of future green fuels, can you please explain the port’s strategy?
Every year, ships are estimated to bunker more than six million tonnes of fuel at Port of Antwerp-Bruges. With this position, we want to take a leading role in getting ships to run more and more on more environmentally-friendly fuel. For example, we are working on the transition to a multi-fuel port with alternative fuels that generate fewer CO2 emissions and are better for the climate and air quality. LNG is already a reality today and we are working to provide ample supply of methanol, hydrogen and electric power. We’re also working on shore power for seagoing vessels and barges.
Shore power allows ships ashore to shut down their engines or generator and connect to the grid. Where shore power is available, it is prohibited to use the generator. This reduces emissions (NOx, SOx and particulate matter), improves air quality and reduces noise pollution.
Barges have been able to connect to shore power when berthed for several years now. Not that many seagoing vessels are yet equipped for shore power. Substantial technical facilities are required for it, both on board the ship and on the quay. So by offering shore power for seagoing vessels, we want to break the ‘chicken or egg’ situation. That’s why we are working on rolling out shore power for seagoing vessels in the near future.
What is the port’s position on green hydrogen, does it feel that it is the answer to green energy autonomy in Europe?
If we want to play an important role in the long term as a green energy gateway for Western Europe, we should not just be looking at supplying green energy to industry in and around Antwerp. We intend to import much larger volumes of green energy through our merged port, subsequently making it available to a very large hinterland, for instance the German industrial regions. The large volumes required just by Antwerp’s chemicals cluster are set to become a lever driving a hydrogen economy outside the port.
What other green projects are on the horizon for the port?
We are working on greening our fleet with a hydrogen powered tugboat and a methanol powered tugboat.
We’re also involved with the Antwerp@C project which also involves Air Liquide, BASF, Borealis, ExxonMobil, INEOS, Fluxys and Total. We are joining together to investigate Carbon Capture Utilisation & Storage (CCUS) in Antwerp@C . The aim of this project is to capture half of the CO2 emissions at the port with CCUS by 2030.
The port is also part of the PIONEERS project. PIONEERS is an international consortium of 46 partners, led by Port of Antwerp-Bruges. This PIONEERS consortium brings together ports, terminal operators, carriers, freight forwarders, knowledge institutions, technology developers, innovators and government agencies to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.
We’re also involved with the Hydrogen Import Coalition and the Antwerp North residual heat network, among many other projects.
We intend to become the first port in the world to reconcile people, climate and ‘‘ economy. Port of Antwerp-Bruges is transitioning from being a passive landlord to an active community builder
Q A
QLastly, can you please impart some words of wisdom about how other ports and terminals can embrace and
make the most of opportunities arising from this period of transition that we now fi nd ourselves in?
AWe have to do this together. We can not solve these challenges on our own, but by building strong partnerships we will be more resilient to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. The port is taking a leading roll in this. Together, we devise concrete solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at ports while safeguarding our competitive position.
Photo: Port of Antwerp-Bruges 8 In Zeebrugge, the
