BackNautical Mail – Policy Area Ship News Spring 2026
It is the time of the year, when Policy Area Ship and our projects want to share their latest bits and pieces of their achievements and other news! Let’s hear all the updates:
Policy Area Ship updates
EUSBSR Annual Forum 2026 is closing by and PA Ship will be organising a workshop with PA Safe & Transport and our projects called “Risky business: strengthening maritime safety to protect the Baltic Sea”.
If you are attending, come meet us at our stand, projects CargoRes, Circular Ports & H2Deri@BSP will join our forces there! See you there!
Last week, PA Ship joined its sister PAs Transport, Energy and Safe in a workshop organised by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg – Senate Chancellery – Baltic Sea Strategy Point in cooperation with Port of Hamburg Marketing, with support from Hamburger Hafen und Logistik Aktiengesellschaft.
The day included several presentations on their decarbonisation efforts by the local actors, and also industry perspective from Stena Line. A full account can be read through the EUSBSR website.
Project news
Nordic Roadmap – Future Fuels for Shipping Programme Phase 2
As part of one of our newest projects, the Nordic Roadmap – Future Fuels for Shipping Programme Phase 2, supported by Nordiska Ministerrådet, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Lighthouse and DNV invite you to a one-day conference in Gothenburg to explore how we can move from vision to investment in green shipping corridors in the Nordics. Join us to discuss the next steps for green shipping corridors in the Nordics and hear the latest updates from the IMO, the EU, and leading Nordic initiatives driving the maritime transition. Register to the event here!
The Blue Supply Chains project came to a close – delivering practical solutions to decarbonise port operations across the Baltic Sea region. From electrification and onshore power supply to green fuels and resilient transport corridors, the project turns strategy into action. Discover the final results, pilot insights, and technical roadmaps now available through this link.
CargoRes – Sustainable handling of cargo residues
CargoRes invites port ecosystem actors, authorities, and advocacy organisations to join our Stakeholder Webinar on 7 May.
The CargoRes initiative works to reduce environmental impacts from dry bulk cargo handling in ports and onboard ships by engaging stakeholder insight and promoting practical, workable solutions.
Meaningful change only happens through well‑informed and value‑driven actions taken by the actors involved. For CargoRes, awareness‑raising is a core driver of impact: building shared understanding, strengthening capacity, and enabling actors to recognise both their role and their opportunities for action. This is pursued by engaging the entire supply chain in joint discussions, knowledge exchange, and peer‑to‑peer and cross‑operational interaction.
Structured stakeholder participation is channelled through the CargoRes Advisory Network, which will be launched at the 7 May webinar.Join us online to hear more about the activities ahead and the opportunities for stakeholders to take part.
The Circular Ports project explores symbiosis opportunities within port environments for waste reduction and material reuse, establishing viable circular business models.
Currently in Circular Ports:
- A wide range of pilot phase reports has now been published on the project website, offering concrete insights into material flows, challenges and opportunities for increasing circularity in ports.
- Project partners met in Lappeenranta in March 2026 to advance the work from analysis towards piloting solutions. The meeting also included filming sessions for upcoming project videos – more results will be shared soon on our LinkedIn page.
- Circular Ports will also be featured at the Europe Forum in Turku on 26–28 August 2026 – stay tuned for more infomation!
- Stay up to date by subscribing to the Circular Ports newsletter – the first edition will be published soon.
Learn more on our website and explore all the newly published outputs: Circular Ports – Interreg Baltic Sea Region
The Interreg Baltic Sea Region project H2-Derivatives@BalticSeaPorts has published its first key deliverables, offering practical knowledge for ports, terminal operators, energy providers, and maritime stakeholders preparing for hydrogen-derived fuels such as methanol and ammonia.
The new materials cover market demand in the Baltic Sea Region, port infrastructure and bunker supply planning, regulatory and safety frameworks, alongside communications with port communities.
Together, they provide an integrated basis for safer, more coordinated, and implementation-oriented deployment of hydrogen derivatives in Baltic Sea ports. All interested stakeholders are invited to collaborate in testing these deliverables during the second project year until February 2027 by contacting the lead partner (sudhakar@hafen-hamburg.de).
Read more and download the deliverables on the H2Deri@BSP project page by clicking on the links below:
- Market Demand Analysis for Baltic Sea Ports mapping current and future demand, production capacity, infrastructure readiness, regulatory conditions, and import/export possibilities across eight Baltic Sea countries: H2Derivative Market Demand Analysis for Baltic Sea Ports
- Infrastructure and Bunker Supply Guideline supporting ports with techno-economic modelling, bunkering mapping, methanol tank-trailer, and bunker-vessel specifications: H2Derivative Port Infrastructure and Bunker Supply Guideline
- Regulatory Frameworks and safety manuals for ammonia and methanol in ports along with a Bunkering Guidebook: H2Derivative Port Regulatory Framework
- Port Residential Communication Strategy offering strategic principles, practical tools, key messages to support transparent communication, local acceptance, and trust: H2Derivative-Port Residential Communication Strategy
The REISFER project held its 2nd Island Ferry Summit in April.
The conference focused on the technical measures for decarbonisation that have been carried out during the project, emphasising the relevance of cooperation. A news and more information available HERE.
Additionally, keep an eye on REISFER’s webpage and LinkedIn! The report on the sea-going staff’s views on decarbonisation of island ferry traffic in the Central Baltic Region will be published soon!
Save the Date – MaDaMe Final Seminar
The final seminar of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region co-funded MaDaMe – Maritime Data Methods for Safe Shipping project will take place on 30 September 2026 in Turku, Finland. The seminar will present the project’s key results and discuss progress in the development, implementation, and standardization of digital e‑Navigation services. More details and registration information will be published on our websites later this spring: Save the date: MaDaMe – Maritime Data Methods for Safe Shipping – Final Seminar – Interreg Baltic Sea Region.
