EU Approves Funding for Baltic Sea Scrubber Waste and LNG Bunkering Infrastructure Project

The BPO says the EUSBSR Seed Money Facility has approved its Green InfraPort project, which will see the development of LNG bunkering infrastructure and scrubber waste reception facilities at Baltic ports.

The Baltic Ports Organization (BPO) has announced that it has received approval from the European Union's Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) Seed Money Facility, as well as a €46,140 ($52,547) grant from the EU, for its Green InfraPort project, which will see the development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering infrastructure and scrubber waste reception facilities at Baltic ports.

The Green InfraPort initiative is also said to be intended to address shore power infrastructure, energy efficiency in port areas, alternative fuels for terminal vehicles, and sewage from passenger ships.

"Baltic ports have always been front runners when it comes to environmental initiatives. This project is another example of pro-active approach in the area of environmental management and investments in ports," said Bogdan Oldakowski, BPO's Secretary General.

The project comes at a time Baltic ports need to adjust to operating under a new legal framework for environmental regulations, including Emission Control Areas (ECAs), and dealing with new challenges such as the need to process scrubber waste water.

BPO says Green InfraPort is a project that is intended to prepare the coordinated action of interested and relevant ports in applying for EU funding from the Connecting Europe Facility and other available sources.

With regards to the Green InfraPort project, BPO says it "presents more options for ports interested in joining forces and further development of LNG bunkering infrastructure."

The project is set to be officially started this month, with project completion expected for the end of March 2017.

In March, Ship & Bunker reported that the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) had agreed to a roadmap that includes a proposal for a Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Emissions Control Area (ECA) for the Baltic Sea, set for submission to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at the Marine Environment Protection Committee's (MEPC's) 70th session in October.