Shipping Day focused on the green transition

The event was opened by Member of Parliament Ville Valkonen who presented the Government’s greetings to more than one hundred participants. Previously a member of the Board of Directors of the Port of Turku, Mr Valkonen emphasised the importance of the green transition and the challenges it presents to navigation and logistics at both national level and globally. According to his view, the promotion of the green transition is a key issue for the entire logistics chain, and an existential question for the globe.

The event communicated a shared mind-set

A key part of the seminar programme of the Shipping Day comprised of a panel discussion on the importance of the green transition in the logistics strategy. The panellists were Heikki Hellstén (Head of Logistics, SSAB Europe Oy), Ilkka Rytkölä (Ecosystem Lead, Meyer Turku), and Matti Urmas (Managing Director, Freja Transport & Logistics Oy). The discussion brought on many different views, including the expectations of the customers on reducing the carbon footprint of shipments, and development of the infrastructure required by the transition to alternative fuels. The panellists and the organisers of the Shipping Day also told about the measures implemented by the companies represented by them to accelerate the green transition.

The shared mind-set of all participants for the promotion of green transports was emphasised during the day. Co-operation between different players was considered necessary while facing a major change.

”Nobody is able to do everything alone. In the Port of Turku, co-operation between companies is open and easy, as the goals are common. The best deed for the environment is to get the ships and trucks moving with a full load, and thus bring the emission of transports per cargo unit to a minimum. As the co-operation also works well at personal level, it is easy to give out tips on possible customers to partners, too. One important form of co-operation for port operators is presence at trade fairs where cost-efficiency is stressed with multiplied visibility through shared fair stands”, say David Symes, General Manager of Mann Lines Oy, and Mika Saarinen, Director, Sales and Business Development at Baltic Line.

Green transition also requires action from the government

Challenges were discussed openly, and the public authorities were also expected to take measures to promote the green transition as regards road transports. Managing Director Matti Urmas called for investments in vehicle charging infrastructure.

“In addition to the high cost of vehicles, the slow progress of the charging network is an obstacle to increasing of electric-powered trucks. Finland is committed to the EU’s goal to build charging points for heavy vehicles at sixty kilometre intervals along the TEN-T core network, which is impossible to achieve without public investments. The charging points of private terminals are not enough to fulfil the needs and goals, so a public charging network is the only option for promoting the increase in the number of electric trucks. Alongside electricity, we should also be prepared for building distribution infrastructure for hydrogen, because by utilising different forms of energy we will also improve the national security of supply.”

Participants commended the spirit and arrangements of the event

Lauri Iljin, Operations Director of Turku Stevedoring Oy, participated the Shipping Day for the first time and told that he was very positively surprised by the spirit of the event.

”All events where you get to meet the customers and stakeholders are always fruitful and important. The best thing about the Shipping Day was a relaxed and receptive atmosphere in which you can have an open discussion with different players, including competitors. The event was well organised and certainly strengthened the partnership within the port.”

Text: Kari Ahonen
Photos: Port of Turku Ltd