"At least there's proper winter on the BTJ cover!" one could exclaim, somewhat melancholically looking out the window at the thermometer showing above 10 centigrade in mid-December... I still remember days when it was way below -20 at this time, with fresh heaps of snow covering the old ones - and we're talking about the southern Baltic, not the Kvarken or the Gulf of Finland! Well, if nothing else, the cover symbolises the slippery, covered-in-mist road on which the transport & logistics industry currently finds itself, with all the regulations (or the absence thereof, I'm thinking about you, IMO!) or uncertainties concerning not so much the future fuel mix as the sufficient supply of all those (allegedly) super green bunkers. Then again, who, if not Baltic companies, is blazing the trail, with newsfeeds exploding with bioLNG almost every day now? Putting aside the care for the environment, bunkering this fuel is good business these days, both for suppliers and off-takers, thanks to regional regulations. In the sometimes heated local-vs-international-rules game, the former seemed to score another goal. I am just thinking aloud here, but it'll be interesting to see what other 'localisations' will take place. There is, for instance, a lot of talk about electrification - and electrification of ports specifically. But how about making ports independent, off-the-grid energy islands - particularly when the public sector will dilly-dally with adding power capacity (especially in light of the necessity to furnish so many EU ports with cold ironing stations, including those brawny ones for cruisers, before long)? The Port of Trelleborg already produces more electricity from its own photovoltaics and wind turbines than it needs.

Meanwhile, the last edition of 2025 will take you on a rich & varied ride. Sustainability has reads on the (Finnish) ports' role in supporting biodiversity and the impact of fragmentation in the shipping market on its ability to decarbonise. Maritime, among others, tackles future fuel flexibility (and being 'ready' comes in different flavours, some fast food-like-cheap, some expensive but with a promise of a hefty dividend), how European shipyards can benefit (together) from value rather than volume, and an investigation of whether flying ships will land a deal. In Technology, you'll find use cases of AI in terminal operations - from yard management to communications - as well as in making navigation safer. And as already present logistics isn't possible to execute efficiently (and environmentally-friendly) without data, another Tech article covers the development of an open-source standard for exchanging emissions data.

Though it's murky on the icy road, with nothing but fields of snow to the star- and larboards, we wish the coming year to bring clarity to the direction our sector is heading. One thing is certain: we cannot kill the engine mid-road - we have to keep pushing! However, as 2025 approaches its conclusion, it's also advisable to kick back a little to catch some breath in anticipation of what's 'round the next corner. As the Danes would put it, I wish you hygge ahead of arbejdsglæde. As the Germans have it, a bit of Waldeinsamkeit instead of Schadenfreude. You know, some Swedish winter gökotta. All those different kinds of happiness. See y'all in 2026!

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