Sustainable Opportunities

ON 11^TH FEB, 2011, I had attended a round table discussion on the port infrastructure and city transport logistics in Rotterdam and its experience for Indian port cities.

The discussion was headed by presentations of two professors who were also transport experts. Amongst the presence of various government and shipping authorities was Satyagiri Shipping Co. Ltd, one of India’s leading sustainable conscious shipping companies.

The port of Rotterdam has had many difficulties as a docking station in Central Europe. Over the years the port has achieved efficiency in port infrastructure to allocate maximum number of ships at a particular given time. It has also engaged maximum transport facilities to the port by creating separate lanes. Due to major trade with Germany the route design from the Netherlands to Germany has been altered to make a direct and time saving passage.

Professor Bart Kupiers spoke about the port of Rotterdam and its hinterland network. He stressed on how road transport congestion is similar between Mumbai and Rotterdam, ‘with a lot of congestion the level of living of people in these areas are affected’. He mentioned that the road transport moving towards the port area (which are in large numbers) must make ‘use of clean modes of transport’. The ‘use of clean fuels’ will reduce avoidable health issues for the people in this region. Further more, Professor Kupiers discussed the most interesting part – solutions. He listed the future trends of the port of Rotterdam. This was characterized by paying attention to various segments –

Growth of network

Growth in city centre

Growth in knowledge intensive industry

Growth in sustainable trade

Growth of logistics (green port)

Growth of creative industry

Professor Harry Geerlings spoke about the challenges of sustainable mobility. He explained sustainability as a combination of profit, people and the planet. With depleting natural resources, industries should aim at using renewable forms of energy. There is ample scope to delve into future technologies for sustainable growth in the shipping industry of India. Although, as India is fed by coal power a possible black swan problem could take place. We must me careful not to commit an act on nature so grave that it has an irreversible impact on mankind, especially India.

The round table concluded with mixed reactions due to differences in the dynamics of Indian ports and port of Rotterdam. Although, attempts such as the current discussion, Indian companies such as Satyagiri Shipping Pvt. Ltd and interactions with experienced individuals in the specialized field, sustainable opportunities in the Indian context is not far away.


Photo link - http://www.portofrotterdam.com