Turku hosts the ninth Baltic Sea Region Forum
Experts and stakeholders from the maritime industry gathered on May 20th in Turku, at the ninth Baltic Sea Region Forum, organized by the Centrum Balticum, says BPO. This year’s event took place under the theme “Maritime cluster in the Baltic Sea region and beyond”. Topics surrounding transport, shipbuilding and the marine cluster were the main focus of the event.
The maritime transportation panel, attended among others by Christian Ramberg, the CEO of Port of Turku and our very own Bogdan Ołdakowski, Secretary General of the Baltic Ports Organization (BPO), was of particular interest to the Baltic transport industry. The discussion focused on the current and upcoming environmental regulatory changes and how these regulations impact the supply and demand as well as the freight levels in the Baltic Sea shipping sector.
Bogdan Ołdakowski, summarizing his contribution, said: “These discussions very often address the same questions - how to implement new regulations, who is responsible for what and who pays. In the coming years, ports and the shipping sector will face the implementation of a few very important rules regarding water ballast convention, sewage from passenger ships or the discharge of cargo hold washing waters. In many cases it is very unclear what the responsibilities are for providing the solutions. Regulators, apart from preparing the law, should facilitate a smooth implementation of these new rules, it’s a point that is often overlooked.”
The panelists also examined different ways to address the uncertain cargo demand in the Baltic Sea ports and its effect on investments in port facilities and services. Main safety and security issues and challenges, that the Baltic shipping industry and port will face in the near future have also been discussed.
The Baltic Sea Region Forum was not the only great event hosted by the city of Turku last week. The city also held the European Maritime Day (EMD) 2016, one of the most important maritime conferences in the EU. Sustainability, Blue Growth, investment, development of know-how and energy questions were the focus of this year’s edition, attended among others by the European Commissioner Karmenu Vella. Commissioner Vella, who delivered the opening speech, said: “Sustainable blue economy is not an obstacle but a key to competitive advantage for Europe”.
Apart from a HELCOM session dedicated to the protection of the marine environment under simultaneous stimulation of sustainable use and growth of blue economy, the EMD 2016 also included workshops dealing with shipping issues, e.g. the Partnerships for Green Shipping organized by the Council of the Baltic Sea States and HELCOM as well as Cruising: effective solutions for responsible growth organized by HELCOM and the Cruise Lines International Association.