At the annual Ports of Denmark Conference, April 15-16, the Port of Kalundborg, together with APM Terminals, received the Sustainability Award. The award was given due to both organizations' joint project to become the world's first CO2-neutral container terminal. The award-winning project is part of the Port of Kalundborg's larger journey towards the green transition.
The Danish Ports Sustainability Award 2024 represents recognition of the work that the Port of Kalundborg and APM Terminals officially launched last year. A project that makes the Port of Kalundborg a front-runner in the green transition, with the ambition that APM Terminals' facilities will become the first terminal in the world to become 100 % CO2-neutral. Through electrification of the terminal's cranes and a switch to hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), the first 90 % will be secured towards neutrality.
In addition to this, a parallel project is working on electrifying all equipment at the terminal, which gives the final 10 %. The entire sustainable effort has been named Green Zealand Gateway and sets the framework for the work ahead.
“We are very proud of this award. Although it is clear that the world is moving towards a greener agenda, it has still been a significant investment on our part to embark on such a project. Therefore, it also means a lot to us when this work is recognized,” says Director of Kalundborg Port, Bent Rasmussen, and continues: “However, we do not intend to rest on our laurels. We work hard every day to maintain Kalundborg Port as the obvious choice for customers who want the complete package of environmental, economic and logistical benefits.”
The judging committee consisted of the Council for Green Transition and Danish Shipping Companies, and the other projects nominated for the award came from the ports of Skagen, Aalborg, Aarhus and Copenhagen Malmö Ports.
The judges' reasons for Kalundborg Port and APM Terminals winning the award include that the project went deeper than other projects. At the same time, it was noted that Kalundborg Port is located in an area with a lot of green development, which the project also manages to exploit, including through synergies with other companies and customers. It is not only a technical transition, but also a focus on supporting customers' journey to green transition.
It is not only Green Zealand Gateway's focus on electrification that gives customers a more climate-friendly footprint, it is also the geographical location that ensures the lowest CO2 emissions right up to addresses within the borders of the Capital Region. This is due, among other things, to the shorter ship journey, less terminal time, and options for modular vehicle transport to and from the terminal. In fact, the Port of Kalundborg is the better choice in terms of CO2, in almost all of the calculated situations below, compared to the alternative in Copenhagen.
Calculation criteria
The above calculations are based on sailing north around Zealand. Furthermore, the calculation is based on the known terminal time of 1 hour in Copenhagen, compared to 10 minutes in Kalundborg.
Additional rush hour, rush hour traffic or other factors are not included, even though drivers report +30 min to +90 min delay during rush hour per trip.
Calculations made by civil engineer Hans Otto Kristensen, Consulting Naval Architect
“We are of course not the only port in Denmark working on the green transition, but as the judges pointed out, our project commitment has gone deeper than the others,” says Bent Rasmussen and continues: “But we also have to. Our customers' needs for sustainable solutions will continue to increase, and our ambition is not only to meet their current needs, but to help them meet future ones.”
The work towards the green transition has been done to meet and support customers' needs to become more sustainable. With the EU's increasing focus on sustainability, in the form of several directives on ESG, the Port of Kalundborg continues to find opportunities to both deliver sustainable solutions, but also meet customer requirements. This is seen, among other things, through the upcoming plan to build charging stations in the drivers' rest area at the entrance to the container terminal. This gives truck drivers the opportunity to charge their trucks while taking a rest period.
These initiatives are examples of how fundamental elements of port operations can and should be rethought to ensure a greener and more sustainable future, but at the same time also ensure that the Port of Kalundborg can maintain its position as one of Zealand's leading ports with a view to giving the population and Danish businesses access to efficient maritime transport at the right price.
