DigiTechPort2030 – Decarbonisation of Small Ports’ Ecosystems for Efficient Environmental and Energy Management towards South Baltic Fit for 55

DigiTechPort2030 is a follow-up project to Connect2SmallPorts and again focuses on small and medium-sized ports in the Baltic Sea. This project is driven by current European guidelines such as the European Green Deal or Fit for 55, which forces the entire maritime industry to decarbonize current processes and contribute to reducing emissions.

Objective

The port industry is facing a growing dilemma between increasing obstacles and challenges in daily operations, such as rising energy prices or uncertain logistics chains, but at the same time political pressure to make operations more environmentally friendly, sustainable and resilient. These pressures are largely driven by the introduction of new regulations that set the path for port development, notably the European Green Deal and the IMO's 'Fit for 55' legislation, which set important targets for 2030 and 2050, such as a significant 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2015.

Implementation

DigiTechPort2030 is a follow-up project to Connect2SmallPorts and again focuses on small and medium-sized ports in the Baltic Sea. Hochschule Wismar is the coordinator of the network with 8 other partners from the Baltic countries. While Connect2SmallPorts focused on the digitalization of these ports, the focus now shifts to decarbonizing the port ecosystems, that is, not only the port as a static entity but as a whole element with a variety of connections to the outside world - economic, ecological but also social. The driving forces behind this project are the current European guidelines, such as the European Green Deal or Fit for 55, which oblige the entire shipping industry to decarbonize its current operations and contribute to reducing emissions.