Blue Supply Chains at the Transport Week 2025 in Gdynia

Aside from the main event programme, packed to the brim with presentations and discussion panels covering a wide plethora of topics, ranging from EU’s current position on the world stage, through port sector investment showcases to all-thing electrification in the maritime sector, the BSC crew had some additional plans involving fostering cooperation with other EU funded projects. 

Spreading the word 

Naturally, the main conference programme itself could not do without a BSC accent or two. A number of our representatives delivered presentations and spoke during discussion panels on both days of the event, offering insights into the role electrification can play in decarbonising the maritime sector. 

Andrius Sutnikas, speaking on behalf of the Klaipeda Science and Technology Park, joined the panel on “Cross-industry cooperation as the basis for the electrification of the supply chain”. He stressed the need for ports to focus more on how to balance securing the necessary energy supply and maintaining logistics. Future energy prices and infrastructure availability may pose a challenge in terms of ports’ competitiveness and the overall pace of progress of the port electrification process. 

Hanno Bromeis, representing the Hamburg Port Authority, talked about three key technical challenges for OPS implementation: availability of power/grid strength, service area/positioning of cables and quay wall situation/lateral space. He also presented the technical overview of the OPS solution at the Tollerort Terminal (CTT), Eurogate Terminal (CTH) and Burchardkai (CTB). Commercial challenges were also mentioned in Hanno’s speach, as fossil fuel prices still make OPS a hard sell. 

Hanno Bromeis (HPA) at the Transport Week 2025 Conference

During the discussion panel on “Cross-industry cooperation as the basis for the electrification of the supply chain,” Jan Jarmakowski, sporting the colors of the Gdynia Container Terminal (GCT), mentioned his company’s participation in the BSC project. The terminal’s task is to promote the idea of modernizing existing, well-functioning transshipment equipment in ports, towards improving energy efficiency, reducing CO2 emissions, or noise emissions. He also expressed hope that more and more operators will follow a similar path. 

Ernest Czermański, flying the banner of the University of Gdańsk, during the panel on “Many faces of port operations’ electrification – it’s not just about OPS”, suggested that incentives are much better than obligations when trying to motivate the industry to electrify.  Technology is developing at an increasingly rapid pace – in order to match it, ports could form energy communities with municipalities they are located in and engage in cooperation focused on energy production, serving as a possible incentive to invest in the electrification process. 

A tale of three projects 

The spirit of cooperation, of benefiting from each other’s knowledge and experience, lies at the heart of the EU funding programmes. Many of the projects deal with various aspects of similar, overarching issues, one of them being decarbonisation.   

Seizing the opportunity presenting itself during the Transport Week in Gdynia, one of our fellow projects – DigiTechPort2030 – invited us, along with the DeCoInter project, to a joint meeting, hopefully serving as the steppingstone for further cooperation between the three partner consortiums. 

All three of the projects had the chance to hold three brief presentations, showcasing their core planned outcomes and activities. There is a lot of synergy that can be tapped into, and the gathered participants were eager to see just how much we can accomplish when working together. 

Into the maze 

As with any proper first date, the meeting of the three projects had to involve some sort of exciting activity to tell your friends about. In our case, the excitement was provided by our colleagues at the Gdynia Container Terminal (GCT), another BSC partner. 

The GCT crew was kind enough to invite us for a study visit, showing off their yards in the midst of action (as if action ever stops on a container terminal!). We boarded a bus and were then thrust into the maze of stacked “boxes”, as containers are often referred to by the industry professionals, accompanied by the soothing voice of our guide, Mikołaj Magiełka, GCT’s Commercial Manager. 

Mikołaj Magiełka (GCT) in action during the Gdynia Container Terminal study visit

While not one of the biggest container terminals out there, it is definitely among the busier ones – it was a great experience to witness how Mikołaj and his colleagues approach the challenges posed by limited space and maximize their operational efficiency by utilizing every possible inch of yard capacity at their disposal. 

Operational optimization is not the only thing the GCT crew cares deeply about. They also take the issue of environmental responsibility very seriously. As part of the Blue Supply Chains project, they plan to further the retrofitting process of their RTG cranes, switching to electric power. 

During the Transport Week conference, Mikołaj also spoke about GCT’s current plans, including the dismantling of the 500 kW diesel engines with power generator, installation of 15/0.4 kV transformers along with 15 kV power cables on cable reels, equipment of the cranes with 90kW diesel auxiliary generators for use in emergency situations, and reducing the annual diesel consumption to 20,000 instead of the 420,000 liters, as well as decreasing the CO2 emissions by approx. 1 mln kg per year. 

The BSC project would like to thank the Transport Week organizers and all of the project partners we had the chance to talk shop with during these past few days. The year has just started but it is already looking very promising! 

Blue Supply Chains | DeCoInter | DigiTechPort2030 representatives at the Gdynia Container Terminal

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