Port of Rotterdam is accelerating the reduction of its carbon footprint as part of its efforts to reach its sustainability goals.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority said currently, most of the CO2 of the Port Authority is emitted by the (patrol) vessels. CO2 is also emitted by the use of cars and buildings — totalling 4,000 tonnes per year in total.

As part of its emission goals, it said that the Port Authority's own carbon emissions should be 75% lower in 2025 and 90% lower in 2030 than in 2019. Eventually, the Port Authority wants its operations to be entirely emission-free.

"We are going to reduce our own carbon emissions as quickly as possible while compensating in full what we still emit. So from that perspective, the Port Authority is already carbon neutral as we speak. Because our emissions will be lower and lower in the next few years, the compensation required will also decrease more and more," said Allard Castelein, CEO Port of Rotterdam Authority.

The Port Authority noted that in the past year, it has used "science-based targeting" to calculate the emission reduction amount required to pull its weight to keep global warming below the 1.5 degrees Celcius limit.

With this method, the Port Authority said it should achieve a reduction of at least 46.2% by 2030 compared with 2019 but as this goal seemed "technically feasible," the port opted for an accelerated reduction of its own emissions by 90% in 2030.

Emissions-free vessels goal by 2025

To this end, the Port Authority said it will ensure that all its vessels will switch completely to biofuel in the short term, and it has the ambition that from 2025 new vessels will be emission-free.

The Port Authority also wants to realise lower carbon emissions in other areas. It said emission caused by its employees' air travel is to be reduced by 70% in 2025 and by 80% in 2030, as a result of flying less and participating in a biokerosene programme.

The Port Authority said it is also doing its utmost for emission reduction in shipping and industry, although it noted that it "cannot influence this directly."

For shipping in the port management area (which reaches as far as 60km off the coast) the emissions should be reduced by 20% in 2030.

To make this happen, the Port said steps include the application of shore power, and bunkering of clean fuels (such as LNG, biofuels, and methanol) by shipping.

"This should be made possible by projects on capturing CO2 and storing it beneath the North Sea bed (Porthos), construction of pipes for hydrogen and residual heat, and attracting innovative developments, such as the production of green hydrogen and biofuels," the Port Authority said.

All these projects together amount to some 23 million tonnes of carbon reduction in the port and outside.

Port of Rotterdam noted that this is 35% of the Dutch carbon reduction objective for 2030.