The Danish seaport has teamed up with the tech-company to develop a system for management of carbon emissions, with the aim of becoming a climate-neutral port.

Once in use, the system will enable the Port of Esbjerg to track and manage all energy consumption remotely and in real-time, possibly even that of infrastructure to be added in the future.

The solution will also make it possible for companies operating in the port to track their individual carbon footprints.

"This is a large port with many ships calling and a broad range of activities going on, so our carbon emissions are quite substantial, but we intend to do something about that," Dennis Jul Pedersen, CEO, the Port of Esbjerg, said.

To this Lana Sukhodolska, Head of Sales and Business Development, Honeywell, added, "The people at Port Esbjerg know what they want, and in many ways, we see Port Esbjerg as a benchmark for other ports, especially in terms of sustainability. However, in order for this project to succeed, we need to establish what the company's current position is. During this initial phase, we will map, monitor and manage current energy consumption and carbon emissions."

She furthered, "The solution we'll be developing together with Port Esbjerg is absolutely unique in terms of its scope. Other ports may have energy efficiency solutions for their buildings, but no one has ever done what we'll be doing at the port of Esbjerg. We'll include everything from vessels, infrastructure and maybe also various companies operating at the port."

Gathering of the initial data will have been completed by this autumn. The port will then decide on the next steps to reduce carbon emissions. To reduce emissions, the Port of Esbjerg is exploring the use of renewable energy for both its own and its customers' needs, including investing in electric vehicles, establishing smart lighting and heating, and installing onshore power supply.

"For us as a port, the new system will mean that not only can we lower our carbon footprint and we can do it faster, we'll also be able to do it in a way that makes sound business sense. If it meant we'd incur higher costs, it would be to the detriment of our customers at the end of the day, and that wouldn't be fair. This way, we're making the port more attractive by facilitating the green transition while also staying open for business," Jul Pedersen summed up.

Photo: Port of Esbjerg