The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, the organization responsible for the stewardship of the Port of Vancouver, is participating in the World Ports Climate Action Program.
In this new international initiative, the port authorities of Vancouver, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg, and Barcelona will be joining forces and working together on a number of projects that address the issue of global warming.
Delta Optimist file photo
The international collaboration was announced last week during the opening session of the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco.
The World Ports Climate Action Program focuses on the following specific five actions:
• Increasing efficiency of supply chains using digital tools
• Advancing common and ambitious public policy approaches on emission reductions within larger geographical areas
• Accelerating development of in-port renewable power-to-ship solutions or other zero emission solutions
• Accelerating the development of commercially viable sustainable low-carbon fuels for maritime transport and infrastructure for electrification of ship propulsion system
• Accelerating efforts to fully decarbonize cargo-handling facilities in our ports.
In addition to its participation in the World Ports Climate Action Program, as part of its approach to environmental stewardship and sustainability, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority leads a number of initiatives to protect the lands and waters within its jurisdiction:
• The Port of Vancouver was the first port in Canada with stringent environmental requirements for container drayage trucks to reduce air emissions, implemented by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority in 2008
• With participation from the port community, the port authority delivered a port-wide emissions inventory to track port emissions and help develop solutions to reduce them
• For more than 20 years, the port authority has been proactively building local habitat through its Habitat Enhancement Program, an initiative focused on creating, restoring and improving the viability and sustainability of fish and wildlife habitat
• On Jan. 1, 2017, the port authority added new incentive criteria to its existing EcoAction program to include discounts on harbour dues for quieter ships – making Canada the first country in the world with a marine noise reduction incentive
• Since Jan. 1, 2015, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has administered its Non-Road Diesel Emissions program to reduce diesel particulate matter emissions associated with terminal equipment.
The port authority leads the Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation Program (ECHO), a research program to better understand and manage the impacts of shipping on at-risk whales. In 2017, ECHO attracted global attention for a first-of-its-kind vessel slowdown trial in the Haro Strait to study the impact of ship speed on underwater sound, which can inhibit how marine mammals search for food.
