Green Corridor is one year old and continues towards its ambitious goal
While the emissions of global maritime transports are growing, the Green Corridor project between Turku and Stockholm is moving in the opposite direction. In a conference held on the first anniversary of the project it was published what has been done to reduce emissions and what new actions are being planned.
A little over a year ago the Port of Turku, the Ports of Stockholm and Viking Line signed an agreement on Green Corridor co-operation. The goal is to create a fossil free maritime route between the two cities by 2035 at the latest. That is still a decade away, but in February, around 60 maritime industry players, researchers and entrepreneurs gathered in the Port of Turku to hear what has so far been achieved within the project and what new actions are being planned.
Markku Alahäme, Technical Director of Port of Turku Ltd, presented several measures for reducing carbon dioxide emissions which will be introduced e.g. after the completion of the New Ferry Terminal Turku. The digitalisation and automation of the smart port will reduce the exhaust gas emissions caused by ships, cars as well as passengers. The waiting area for vehicles designed for shared use by Tallink Silja and Viking Line is a dynamic unit.
“We intend to look into and possibly pilot various shore-side electricity solutions on the ro-pax quay. We have just submitted a funding application to Business Finland regarding that”, Mr Alahäme said.
Communication is also important, and the Port of Turku is planning to compile guidelines on how zero emissions can be reached in the port in general.
Connection to Stockholm is crucial for Turku
Ville Niinistö, Member of the European Parliament, thinks that the connection to Stockholm is absolutely essential for the City of Turku and the local businesses. The Green Corridor provides an opportunity to create possible new applications for green energy.
“Even large vessels can be electrified to a greater extent than is done at present. Those among the first to invest in new technology usually have an opportunity to grow and gain a larger share of the markets, like Wärtsilä has done”, said Mr Niinistö, who is also the Chairman of the Board of Port of Turku Ltd.
The aspects of green transports need to be planned together. No single vessel can make a decision on investment alone, if the entire logistics chain including ports is not a part of it. – Ville Niinistö
Magdalena Bosson, CEO of Ports of Stockholm, emphasised the importance of co-operation with the customers, businesses, and Turku. In Stockholm, the goals include, for example, to enable the bunkering of alternative fuels and to support emission free passenger car and truck traffic in the port.
“Developing of infrastructure is challenging, the processes are long-lasting and the investments are big. I hope that in the future I could travel by metro to the port and then continue directly to Turku”, Ms Bosson said.
Concrete actions by Viking Line
Viking Glory and Viking Grace have already created a more climate friendly sea corridor of their own, as by paying an extra charge the passengers can travel through the Åland archipelago with biogas, which decreases their greenhouse gas emissions by around 90 per cent. Viking Line also offers the same option for cargo transports. One of the first companies to seize the opportunity was Orkla which produces Felix ketchup.
One of the challenges is the unwillingness of the customers to pay extra for more ecological transports. According to a study, 12 per cent of the passengers were ready to pay 20 euros extra, more than one-third was ready to pay 5 euros, but one-fifth of the passengers did not want to pay any more.
“In practice, the figure is still low. The price of biogas is not realistic. In addition, the availability is still poor. At the same time, the EU’s emissions trading and other regulation cost a great deal for us”, said Johanna Boijer-Svahnström, Vice President Corporate Communications of Viking Line.
”We must not lose hope”
Eero Hokkanen, Ministerial Adviser in the Ministry of Transport and Communications, congratulated the participants of the Green Corridor projects on account of the first anniversary.
“This is a great achievement. You have been on the frontline since the beginning”, said Mr Hokkanen who works in the Aviation and Maritime Transports unit.
There are several Green Corridor projects underway in different parts of the world, and the biggest of them are designed to cross oceans. Mr Hokkanen considers these projects significant, because the climate regulation of international maritime transports is only just being negotiated. At the same time, the absolute volume of greenhouse gas emissions caused by global maritime transports is growing.
“Sustainability will emerge as an increasingly important factor in maritime transports as well, but security and geopolitics are understandably drawing more attention at present. Nevertheless, we must not lose hope”, Mr Hokkanen stated.
Text & photos: Sari Järvinen
