The project of "Green Ports and Connectivity"
As part of the project of
"Green Ports and Connectivity", representatives of the “Batumi sea port”
LLC took part in a field study trip to the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Belgium
As
part of the Green Ports and Connectivity Project, implemented in the Batumi sea
port with the assistance of ECO Sustainable Logistics Chain Foundation (ECOSLC)
and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE), representatives of the Batumi sea port took part in a field study trip to
the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Belgium.
The
Port of Antwerp-Bruges is renowned for its innovation and technology, as well
as its environmental and sustainability initiatives. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges
currently handles an average of 180 million tons of international maritime
cargo, including around 30 million tons of dry cargo, making it Europe's second
largest port and one of the most important links in international trade. 15,000
sea vessels and 57,000 barges dock in Antwerp-Bruges every year. The port
occupies 13,056 hectares. There are 150 kilometers of berths for sea vessels
and 545 hectares of storage space in the Port.
During
the trip, the representatives of the Batumi sea port received training in the
field of environmental management, sustainable development and digitalization
of production, visited various facilities of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges,
including container ship terminals, warehouses, docks and administrative
buildings, got acquainted with the latest cargo transportation technologies and
environmental protection measures implemented in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
According
to the Operations Director, Tengiz Varshanidze, this field study trip was very
valuable for the entire Batumi sea port team: “We are grateful to the Port of
Antwerp-Bruges for welcoming us and the opportunity to learn about their best
practices in the field of cargo transportation, environmental protection and
sustainable development. This experience will definitely help to improve our
own processes and increase the efficiency of the Batumi sea port. We are proud
to be part of the international port community and strive for continuous
improvement."
As
part of the trip, a working meeting was also held with the Chairman of ECO
Sustainable Logistics Chain Foundation (ECOSLC), Netherlands, Mr. Herman Journée,
regarding the process of implementing the European environmental management
standard EcoPorts in the port of Batumi.
The
field study trip to the Port of Antwerp-Bruges is one of the many initiatives
undertaken by the Batumi sea port as part of its strategy for sustainable
development and continuous improvement of the services provided to its
customers.
*For
reference
EcoPorts is the main
environmental initiative of the European port sector. It was initiated by a number
of proactive ports in 1997 and has been fully integrated into the European Sea
Ports Organisation (ESPO) since 2011. The overarching principle of EcoPorts is
to raise the awareness on environmental protection through cooperation and
sharing of knowledge between ports and improve environmental management. The
EcoPorts Network is the flagship initiative of the European port sector. In
this way, EcoPorts seeks to increase the awareness about environmental
challenges, deliver compliance with legislation and demonstrate a high standard
of environmental management amongst its 116 members from 26 countries.