Cruise Baltic launches sustainable cruise conference

Cruise Baltic has announced a new eco-driven event where cruise industry professionals and influencers willdiscuss the opportunities for reducing air pollution and congestion in the cities in the Baltic Sea region.

The conference will focus on the Baltic Sea region as a sustainable destination and takes place as a collaboration between Cruise Baltic, Copenhagen Malmö Port, the City of Copenhagen and the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark.

“It is central to the green transition that we create an environmental and sustainable framework that can accommodate cruise tourism and shut down for the pollution, which right now comes with the ships into the Danish ports and further out into the cities. We are, therefore, looking forward to a joint discussion of the solutions that may work in the short run as well as the plans for a more sustainable line for the cruise industry,” said Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, Danish minister for Environment and Food.

“The more ports that offer shore power in the region, the more ‘green’ ships”

The conference will be an ambitious kick-off in order to put sustainability on the agenda within the cruise industry and brings together more than 100 professionals from cruise lines, ports, destinations, universities, engineering and research units from around the world.

Frank Jensen, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, said: “The citizens of Copenhagen must be able to breathe without worrying about air pollution. This is why we address the pollution from cruise ships that berth in the city. We have recently set aside money for planning a shore power facility at Nordhavn and for finding a model for how we can install shore power at Langelinie. International cooperation plays a crucial role here. Because the more ports that offer shore power in the region, the more ‘green’ ships, we can attract.”

“An important blow for the environment”

With the conference, Cruise Baltic wishes to speed up the processs of converting Copenhagen and the rest of the Baltic Sea region into the world’s most sustainable cruise destination. Among other things, the programme focusses on air pollution and congestion in the cities. The conference is at the same time the starting signal for the international project of the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark on less air pollution from cruise ships at the quay in the Baltic Sea region. The project runs from 2019 to 2022.

Claus Bødker, director of Cruise Baltic, added: “With this conference, we strike an important blow for the environment, and we are doing it because no one than the cruise industry itself is more determined to solve the problem.

“Therefore, shore power will be a central theme at the conference, which, among other things, highlights the experience of shore power facilities from Kristiansand Harbour. We also focus our attention on the transport of the many cruise ship tourists between ship and city, because greener solutions can be found here too.”

The cruise conference will take place on 7 May at the Langelinie Pavillonen in Copenhagen.