Day 1 — Green Port Fundamentals and Emissions
Module 1: Green Port Fundamentals and Emissions Assessment
- Green port concepts, climate change mitigation, and climate adaptation; sustainability drivers and the business case
- Mapping emission sources: port-owned equipment, vessels at berth, and trucks and trains; the Scope 1, 2, and 3 approach
- Emission inventories, targets, and tracking performance
- Physical climate risk to port assets, such as storms, sea-level rise, and heat
- Practical Exercise: build a basic emissions inventory and a climate risk screening for a sample port
Day 2 — Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Module 2: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
- Optimising building energy use and port equipment performance; energy management systems and retrofits
- Feasibility of solar, wind, and other renewable options at ports; on-site generation and grid connection
- Energy storage, power purchase strategies, and energy security, including load-shedding resilience
- Practical Exercise: assess energy-saving and renewable options for a sample terminal and rank them by cost and impact
Day 3 — Alternative Fuels, Shore Power and Green Logistics
Module 3: Alternative Fuels, Shore Power, and Green Logistics
- Alternative fuels in ports and shipping: LNG (including methane slip), biofuels, methanol, hydrogen, and ammonia, and their infrastructure and safety needs; electric mobility
- Shore power for berthed vessels and equipment electrification
- Port call optimisation, digitalisation, modal shift, and cutting road transport emissions
- Practical Exercise: compare shore power and a fuel option for a sample berth and outline the infrastructure needed
Day 4 — Plans, Regulation and Stakeholders
Module 4: Green Port Plans, Regulation, and Stakeholder Engagement
- Setting sustainability goals, KPIs, and action plans; integrating them into port policies and procurement
- The regulatory landscape: IMO greenhouse gas strategy and the Net-Zero Framework (adoption postponed in October 2025), EU measures such as the emissions trading system for shipping, FuelEU Maritime, and shore power requirements, and national laws such as South Africa's carbon tax and Climate Change Act (confirm current detail)
- Green port certifications, environmental management systems (ISO 14001), and environmental compliance
- Building alliances with port users, authorities, and communities; communication, staff training, and change management
- Practical Exercise: draft the outline of a green port plan with five targets and a stakeholder engagement approach
Day 5 — Finance, Reporting and Net-Zero Leadership
Module 5: Finance, Reporting, and Net-Zero Leadership
- Green finance: green bonds, climate funds, development finance, and private investment; preparing project proposals and basic financial modelling
- Emissions and ESG reporting frameworks, data collection, and benchmarking against leading ports
- The port's role in maritime decarbonisation, and collaboration with shipping and logistics
- Case studies, lessons learned, and a roadmap for continuous improvement
- Practical Exercise: present a short green port roadmap with a funding approach to the group
Day 1 — Introduction, and Emissions Assessment and Reduction
Module 1: Introduction to Green Port Development
- Green port concepts, climate change mitigation, and climate adaptation
- Environmental impacts and sustainability drivers for ports
- Mapping emission sources, including Scope 1, 2, and 3, and building the business case for green action
- Physical climate risk to port assets, such as storms, sea-level rise, and heat
- Practical Exercise: map the emission sources and climate risks of a sample port
Module 2: Emissions Assessment and Reduction
- Emission inventories and quantification tools
- Setting targets and prioritising reduction initiatives, including marginal abatement thinking
- Emissions tracking and performance management
- Practical Exercise: build a basic emissions inventory and set three reduction targets
Day 2 — Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Module 3: Energy Efficiency in Port Operations
- Optimising building energy use and port equipment performance
- Smart grids, energy management systems, and operational savings
- Case studies of energy retrofits
- Practical Exercise: identify energy-saving measures for a sample terminal and estimate payback
Module 4: Renewable Energy Integration
- Feasibility of solar, wind, and marine renewables at ports
- On-site generation and grid connection, and energy security including load-shedding resilience
- Energy storage and power purchase strategies
- Practical Exercise: assess a solar and storage option for a sample port
Day 3 — Alternative Fuels and the Clean Energy Transition
Module 5: Alternative Fuels and Clean Energy Transition
- LNG (including methane slip), biofuels, methanol, hydrogen, ammonia, and electric mobility in ports
- Infrastructure, bunkering, and safety considerations, such as ammonia toxicity and hydrogen handling
- Transition strategies and regulatory incentives
- Practical Exercise: develop a phased fuel transition plan for a sample port
Day 4 — Green Logistics and Innovative Technologies
Module 6: Green Logistics and Supply Chain Optimisation
- Port call optimisation and digitalisation
- Modal shift, intermodal connectivity, and cargo flow efficiency
- Minimising road transport and related emissions, including truck booking systems
- Practical Exercise: design a modal shift and truck-booking improvement for a sample port
Module 7: Innovative Green Technologies
- Shore power for berthed vessels and equipment electrification
- Carbon capture and emissions abatement: what is mature, what is not, and the limits of each
- Piloting and scaling technology innovations
- Practical Exercise: build a business case for shore power at one berth
Day 5 — Developing and Implementing Green Port Plans
Module 8: Developing and Implementing Green Port Plans
- Setting clear sustainability goals, KPIs, and action plans
- Integrating environmental goals into port policies and procurement
- Stakeholder engagement and internal alignment
- Practical Exercise: draft the outline of a green port plan with five targets
Day 6 — Regulations, Incentives and Certifications
Module 9: Regulations, Incentives, and Certifications
- IMO, EU, and national standards for green ports: the IMO greenhouse gas strategy and the Net-Zero Framework (adoption postponed in October 2025), the EU emissions trading system for shipping, FuelEU Maritime, and shore power requirements, and South Africa's carbon tax and Climate Change Act (confirm current detail)
- Green port certifications, environmental management systems, and environmental compliance
- Funding, grants, and tax incentives
- Practical Exercise: map the regulations and incentives that apply to a sample port and rank their impact
Day 7 — Stakeholders, Change Management and Green Finance
Module 10: Stakeholder Engagement and Change Management
- Building alliances with port users, authorities, and communities
- Communication strategies and staff training
- Creating shared value and a green culture, and a just transition for the workforce
- Practical Exercise: role-play a negotiation between a port, a shipping line, and a community group over a green initiative
Module 11: Green Finance and Investment
- Green bonds and the principles behind them, climate funds, development finance, and private investment
- Preparing sustainable infrastructure project proposals
- Financial modelling of green port projects, including capital cost, savings, and payback
- Practical Exercise: model the finances of a sample green port project and test the result against a downside case
Day 8 — Monitoring, Reporting and Continuous Improvement
Module 12: Monitoring, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement
- Emissions and ESG reporting frameworks, such as the GHG Protocol and the ISSB sustainability standards
- Data collection, KPIs, and real-time monitoring, with attention to data quality and avoiding greenwashing
- Benchmarking and adaptive management
- Practical Exercise: design a monitoring and reporting dashboard for a sample port
Day 9 — Best Practice and the Net-Zero Maritime Ecosystem
Module 13: Best Practices and International Case Studies
- Analysis of global green port leaders
- Lessons learned, key success factors, and transferability
- Adapting global solutions to local contexts
- Practical Exercise: analyse a leading green port case and list what would and would not transfer to your port
Module 14: Ports in the Net-Zero Maritime Ecosystem
- The port's role in maritime decarbonisation pathways, including green shipping corridors
- Collaboration with shipping and logistics sectors
- Trends: digitalisation, automation, and climate adaptation
- Practical Exercise: identify partnerships that would help your port support a green shipping corridor
Day 10 — Strategies for Ongoing Leadership
Module 15: Strategies for Ongoing Leadership
- Environmental management systems (EMS) for ports
- Fostering innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement
- A roadmap for sustained excellence in green port development
- Practical Exercise: present your green port roadmap and first-year priorities to the group
The course instructor may adjust the programme for technical reasons, but the course objectives will always be met. Regulation, technology, and finance in this field change quickly, so examples are updated to current positions at delivery. The 5-Day Essentials is shown first; the 10-Day Advanced Programme follows.
