One of Norway´s biggest ports joins NCE Maritime CleanTech. Port of Karmsund hopes the cluster can help them reach their goal of becoming the most environmentally friendly port in the country.
By handling 1,1 million tons of cargo this year, Port of Karmsund is the largest cargo port in Western Norway. In addition to cargo handling the port also facilitates for vessels within the offshore and subsea, cruise, and fishery segments.
Solid partner
– We are impressed by the many innovative projects NCE Maritime CleanTech has initiated and helped raise funding for over the last decade. We see the cluster as a very good arena for finding projects that we can participate in, in order to find even more sustainable solutions suitable for our operations, Head of HR and Communication in Port of Karmsund, Tine Osmundsen says.
Port of Karmsund is owned by six municipalities in the Haugesund region. Over the next ten-year period they are planning the development of a modern, state of the art cargo terminal.
– We operate in many different segments. This diversity gives us broad knowledge and a large network within our industry. Port of Karmsund also owns and operates a lot of relevant infrastructure. We have a well-established strategy for committing to new technologies and more sustainable solutions, which makes us a solid partner in various projects, Osmundsen says.
Smart port
In the fall of 2016, just before the Paris Agreement came into force, Port of Karmsund gave birth to a new concept; Intelliport.
– Intelliport is a concept for increased efficiency, new technologies and more sustainable solutions. After experiencing an increased environmental focus in the world community, we felt a need to systematize and intensify our environmental work, and increase our focus on efficiency and new technology, Osmundsen says. She is also manager for the Intelliport program.
Since implementing the new concept in 2016, Port of Karmsund has taken several measures to reduce emissions. They have installed four new shore power facilities, invested in an electric crane, switched over to electric trucks and vehicles to mention some of them.
– We are focusing on specific projects and investments, which will provide an immediate and measurable emission reduction. Our work with sustainability has also been carried out across all our business areas and departments and is now a significant part of everything we do. Since the beginning it was also very important for us to not only make big plans and have large ambitions for the future, but to start working on projects right away. The ability to turn high ambitions into feasible projects is something we greatly appreciate at NCE Maritime CleanTech as well and is why we think this is a good match, Osmundsen says.