Piraeus Port tackles environmental issues
Greece’s biggest port is taking measures to address the problem of pollution from ships and industrial activities in the area, Piraeus Port Authority (OLP) has said.
The measures focus on the efficient management of waste, the monitoring of noise, water and air quality, energy efficiency and energy savings through technological advances, according to OLP, which is operated by China’s Cosco Shipping.
“We elaborated an integrated environmentally assessment study which includes not only the activities of the port, but also the future projects and how the environmental aspects will be when they are set in full operation in the future,” Chrysanthi Kontogiorgi, head of OLP’s environmental department, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
As a member of the EcoPorts network, comprising European ports that have been evaluated for their environmental performances, OLP collaborates with overseas experts and universities for the monitoring and analysis of environmental indicators, the company said on its website.
“Our collaboration with Piraeus Port Authority is a very nice example of cooperation between a private organization and a university. It is a very useful way to exchange knowledge,” Evangelos Bakeas, associate professor of analytical chemistry at Athens University, told Xinhua.
OLP was honored last month in Athens for its environmental performance with a special award in the environment category at the 4th Annual Sustainability Summit, which was organized by the Center for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) and the MBA International Program at the Athens University of Economics and Business.
“We are in a continuous process to monitor our actual footprint on the environment,” Kontogiorgi said.
“Any new activity has a potential impact on the environment,” Bakeas said, stressing that the best solution is to combine economic activities with green development.
[Xinhua]
