by Przemysław Myszka

A few letters sponsor this autumn's issue, manifestly M as in military.

First, you'll read about the security of subsea infrastructure (or rather the lack thereof...), a matter of national/regional/EU importance, hence an increasingly important task for the armed forces.

As such, another article is about safeguarding the maritime domain in the Baltic (militarily & commercially); not with fighter planes sent to shoot down makeshift drones (which is highly effective but not sustainable, say, like squishing a mosquito with a shotgun blast...) but with un-crewed drones that can patrol our precious sea for months on end at the fraction of the cost of a destroyer. Be prepared to see more of these as you ferry across our region.

Third, even the finished vehicle logistics is concerned with military issues, as was pronounced during the latest gathering of the industry in Amsterdam this October - markedly with the presence of NATO. Last, at this year's Baltic Ports Conference (BPC), the agenda of which we had the satisfaction to craft, the letter M was also there - and double so as in military mobility, including the EU funds the transport & logistics business would like to tap into in order to help make Europe prepared in a better way (but first the block needs to kick the budget into high gear in this area). Though, when asked about their feelings on the prospect of gearing their premises with military stuff, ports and terminals were somewhat sceptical; they would rather prefer some kind of tech/digital means of neutralising hostile drones instead of projectiles flying over the head and littering the quays and yards with debris, unexploded shells, and whatnot. That sentiment is understandable, though it seems NATO has a lot of catching up to do in the hybrid warfare race. During the above BPC, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Administration shared footage and experiences of what it means to carry out port operations when one's quays and yards turn into rubble with exploding ordnance...

In a more heartening manner, the remainder of the issue is composed with all your good ol' Ses, Ts, and Ms. The Sustainability column puts the spotlight on offshore wind energy, warms you with a cuppa coffee (and what you, i.e. the transportation business, can do with used grounds to warm yourself even more - and help the planet, plus your ESG score, as a bonus), draws the critical limits to wind-assisted propulsion in the form of modern rotor sails likewise uncovers the emission-reduction potential of clean hulls, and more. Speaking of propulsion, Technology is big on nuclear ships, while also reasonably sceptical about the green credentials of future fuels (as they are marketed now).
 

Finally, a special column highlights the Blue Supply Chains project, featuring reads on making Umeå a hub for future energy carriers, e-revitalising the Lithuanian inland waterways for cargo, and (re)fitting Germany-Sweden rail ferries into the EU green landscape.