TRIESTE – Port Authority, Harbour Master’s Office, and Shipping Agents have signed an agreement to reduce the impact of atmospheric emissions from ships in the ports of Trieste and Monfalcone.
Inspired by a model already active in the ports of Genoa, Savona and La Spezia, the “Trieste & Monfalcone Blue Agreement” will come into force in the coming weeks. The agreement provides that, voluntarily, ships (cruise and Ro-Ro) already approaching the ports and mooring use low-sulfur fuel, contributing to the improvement of air quality in the urban environment.
«This is an important agreement that sees a sharing of intent between the subjects of the Public Administration and the representative subjects of the shipowning component. The fact that it has found a convinced adhesion demonstrates how the entire port community is sensitive to environmental issues giving its spontaneous contribution to peaceful coexistence between port and city,» said Zeno D’Agostino, president of the Port Authority. The president then recalled the now inseparable combination of growth and sustainability: in Trieste and Monfalcone, all quays will be electrified, and the railway will be further enhanced.
«Anthropized areas close to port infrastructures must all be protected for the health of inhabitants and workers», highlighted Admiral Vincenzo Vitale, maritime director of Friuli Venezia Giulia and commander of the port of Trieste. «Voluntarily replacing the heaviest fuel with Marine Gasoil with the lowest sulfur content (NOx) 4 miles off the coast of both Trieste and Monfalcone, rather than doing so in port as international law now stipulates, is a far-sighted action on the part of the maritime industry».