Author(s): Leonardo Damiani; Jordan Marinski; Tatiana Branca; Matilda Mali; Tania Floqi; Chrysostomos Stylios
Linked Author(s): Leonardo Damiani
Keywords: Ports; Environmental Management Systems (EMS); Strategy approach; TEN ECOPORT
Abstract: Significant progress of Southeast European (SEE) ports towards achieving high standards of environmental quality may be noted by the provided SWOT Analysis of the environmental protection measures and practices in ten SEE ports. It is the result of implementing both preventive (compliance with authorization regime; Environmental Assessment of plans; Environmental Impact Assessment of projects) and active (EMS or some EMS elements implementation; planned change in cargo turnover structure, equipment modernization and improvement of port infrastructure, risk reduced and etc. ) measures to protect the environment from the negative impact of port activities, related to the port operation and development. However the context analysis of environmental situation in Southeast European ports (TEN ECOPORT and ECOPORT 8 projects of SEE EU program) shows growing sensibility of the management authorities to the environmental issues and objective difficulties for development of appropriate strategy and environmental policies due to the following reasons: the complex legislation which has not found yet the balance between the business interests in sea transport and the environment protection and poor enforcement of the regulations. The most effective way to overcome these realities, including the weaknesses, and to avoid the threats is a close cooperation between the ports of the SEE area in the field of environment on the base on a common management strategy for improving ecological status of SEE ports. It can be summarized in several strategic goals and activities: 1) Assessment of the current environmental status of the port waters, air, soil and maritime habitats and identification of significant environmental impacts from port activities and ships in ports; 2) Development and adoption of an environmental management system comprising environmental risk assessment, land & maritime use planning and ICZM’ instruments as important parts of it; 3) Implementation of environmental management strategy and common policies in ports of the SEE area through developing and implementing intelligent environmental port management and information systems using integrated technologies for environmental risk protection, innovative methodologies and instruments for mapping the critical issues for each port involved and highlighting the common key-elements, as basis of the Common Action Plan aimed to protect ports area and surrounding ecosystem. The application of environmental management strategy in TEN ECOPORT project aims to capitalize the gained experience of the 10 SEE ports and to focus on the analysis of the linkage between sustainable and virtues processes implemented in ports and the results foreseen through a close chain approach which consists in verifying continuously the efficiency of the processes chosen.
Year: 2013