The project is considered a green shipping corridor within the meaning of the Clydebank Declaration, which both Germany and Sweden have signed. The MoU and the planned activities are directly related to the EU’s “Fit for 55” strategy. The corridor is also accompanied and supported by the transport ministries of Transport of Sweden and Germany.

The cooperation should not only serve as an innovative platform and exchange of information, but the goal of all partners is to decarbonize transport in the partners’ direct sphere of influence as well as to influence the entire transport chain of the goods concerned. Concrete projects and activities are to be developed jointly, among other things.

As a first project, both ports will build further shore power connections and the shipping company TT-Line will convert four ships in its fleet to shore power. As a result, CO2 emissions are completely avoided during the ships’ time in port.

The fields of activity of the Green Shipping Corridor Lübeck-Travemünde Trelleborg deal with hinterland transport, port operations with vehicle fleet and energy supply, shipping, investigation of business models/incentives with regard to CO2 savings as well as the development of approaches for the measurement of certain indicators of what should characterize a green corridor.

Jörgen Nilsson, CEO of Port of Trelleborg, welcomes this initiative, as the ports, together with the shipping companies, have a pioneering role and solutions must be worked on together. Hannes Conzen, Managing Director of TT-Line, sees this initiative as a logical necessity to set out in times of climate targets. In the future, this approach will have to be extended to the entire transport chain. The section between the Port of Lübeck and the Lübeck-Trelleborg Sea Route and the Port of Trelleborg is the first important step has begun. Ortwin Harms, Managing Director of the Lübecker Hafen-Gesellschaft, adds that, from LHG’s point of view, it is important to actively promote this topic together with the direct partners in the transport chain. This is confirmed by the signing of this MoU. Guido Kaschel, Head of the Lübeck Port Authority, adds that by taking a holistic view, a right step is being taken towards climate-neutral transport on the Baltic Sea, and thus the city’s activities for the transport turnaround in the hinterland are being continued by sea transport.