by Przemysław Myszka
First and foremost, we are more than happy to share that the statistical part of this year's Baltic Yearbook is out! As always, publishing it wouldn't be possible without the invaluable help of our supportive Partners - kudos to them!
Besides that, another summer is behind us, with it too, the much-awaited 80th meeting of the International Maritime Organization's Marine Environment Protection Committee. As we report in the What's in the Cabinet section, the revised IMO GHG Strategy garnered a mixed bag of responses, including voices for whom the outcomes were nothing but a punching bag. As I see it in the Baltic Sea region, decarbonising the shipping business is still in the hands of those 'sailing' the extra mile to turn the green transition into a long-term business case. Perhaps that's the only way of getting it done, naturally, with the help of seaports and investments in future fuel(s) bunkering infrastructure - as well as increasingly more in their own energy production capacities. Shrewd regulations are welcome, don't get me wrong, but that entrepreneurial grit, coupled with air bellowing that R&D furnace, is what spins the propellers.
Speaking of ports, this issue hosts two BTJ Trips we embarked on this spring: first to Norrköping and then to Finland, paying visits to Hanko, Turku, and HaminaKotka. Nothing beats seeing with our own eyes what we're usually reporting on from behind our desks! During the recent transport logistic (tl) trade fair in Munich, we discussed future opportunities for other port visits. If you're interested in having us spotlight what's happening across your harbours, we'll be more than obliged to discuss the details. Ports are fascinating places which rightly deserve media coverage that does them justice. As a case in point, I watched John Woo's Hard Boiled the other day. The movie has these absolutely jaw-dropping gunfight scenes, including... in a port... including under ship-to-shore gantries... including in a harbour workshop... Dunno, we might be visiting the 'wrong' ports during our trips, or maybe pop culture gets it wrong when using these trade & travel facilitators as settings for mischief & mayhem only. Luckily, you and we know better!
Apart from that, the summer issue of our journal houses a set of articles on a variety of topics: combining route optimisation with wind propulsion for greater ship emission reduction; how to help the transport industry make green corridors a reality; staking a case for methanol as a sustainable marine fuel; how shipping is and can further progress on the issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging; various regulations on pollution prevention in the shipping industry (and how to navigate them); automating container yard trucking; reducing food loss through better supply chain planning; and using 3D models is ship designing - among many, many other splendid reads. I would also like to draw your attention to the interview with GEODIS' Matthias Hansen, with which we've revived the tradition of insightfully chatting with the company during tl - what a joy it was to meet after four long years!
As a foretaste of the chillier days awaiting us, the Collector's corner will take you to the Antarctic. The Transport miscellany column will perchance intrigue you with a shipping version of The Ugly Duckling fairy tale, the story behind a mysterious photo from the National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm, an even more puzzling pic from the Finnish Heritage Agency, and some art explanation (which might come in handy if you happen to suddenly decide to live the 'romantic' life of a 19th-century fisherman after a trip to a gallery).
Bon voyage!
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