Foremost Farms USA Joins Vanguard Renewables in Advancing Sustainable Dairy Practices

January 30th, 2024 Tim Jay Leave a comment

Foremost Farms USA, a prominent dairy cooperative operating across seven states, has recently joined forces with Vanguard Renewables, a leading national player in organics-to-renewable energy production. This collaboration marks a pivotal step towards fostering sustainable organic waste reduction and renewable energy generation within the dairy industry.

As a cooperative owned by hundreds of dedicated Midwest dairy farm members, Foremost Farms is renowned for its commitment to producing top-quality milk used in the production of acclaimed cheese, butter, and dairy ingredients. By joining Vanguard Renewables’ Farm Powered Strategic Alliance (FPSA), Foremost Farms aims to bolster its dedication to sustainable practices and extend support to generational dairy farmers across America.

Neil H. Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Vanguard Renewables, expressed enthusiasm about Foremost Farms’ inclusion in the FPSA, emphasizing the cooperative’s role in fostering sustainable farming practices. He highlighted the alignment between Foremost Farms’ commitment to sustainability and Vanguard Renewables’ mission of exploring solutions for food waste reduction.

The FPSA, a collaborative initiative focused on driving systemic change in the dairy industry, is dedicated to promoting sustainable organic waste reduction and regenerative agriculture solutions. With Foremost Farms joining the alliance, FPSA gains a valuable partner with extensive experience in sustainable agriculture and a firm commitment to supporting America’s dairy farmers.

Greg Schlafer, President and CEO of Foremost Farms, echoed the cooperative’s dedication to sustainability, emphasizing the importance of partnerships that focus on environmental stewardship in the dairy industry. He expressed satisfaction in joining the FPSA as a strategic step towards furthering Foremost Farms’ commitment to sustainability and value creation for dairy farm families.

Vanguard Renewables’ partnership with food and beverage manufacturers facilitates the recycling of inedible food waste through Farm Powered anaerobic digestion, converting organic waste into renewable natural gas (RNG). This RNG is utilized to generate electricity, heat, and transportation fuel, thereby reducing reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

Rachel Turgasen, Senior Director of Member Relations and Corporate Sustainability at Foremost Farms, emphasized the partnership’s role in amplifying Foremost Farms’ commitment to sustainability and supporting its members’ efforts. Together with Vanguard Renewables, Foremost Farms aims to drive positive change in the dairy industry and contribute to a more sustainable future.

The FPSA continues to expand, with Foremost Farms joining other industry leaders such as Danone, AstraZeneca, Unilever, Starbucks, and several other national partners. This collaborative effort among like-minded companies is setting a new standard for sustainability and environmental stewardship across industries, making a lasting impact on the environment and local communities.

Archives, Global Trade Daily, Technology

Hutchison Ports BEST Installs Solar Panels

November 25th, 2022 Port Technology International Team Leave a comment

Hutchison Ports BEST terminal has installed 1,832 solar panels on almost half a hectare of its buildings.

This is an auto-supply installation capable of generating 1.18 Gigawatts/hour of electricity, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of about 200 homes.

The installed power is almost 1 Megawatt/hour (833.56 Kilowatt hours).

Solar Profit will oversee the installation process.

READ: Hutchison Ports, TIL to develop 7 million TEU mega-terminal at Rotterdam

“These efforts contribute to further reducing the terminal’s carbon footprint, with BEST’s emissions being 65 per cent lower than conventional manual terminals,” said Estefanía Soler, Head of Sustainability at BEST.

BEST is one of the most sustainable terminals in the Mediterranean, with an operation model based on semi-automation and the use of mostly electric cranes.

The terminal is working with the Barcelona Port Authority to electrify its quay and allow ships to connect to electricity.

This solar panel initiative is part of BEST’s sustainability strategy and reinforces its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 of the 2030 Agenda on “Affordable and Clean Energy”.

BEST was inaugurated 10 years ago and is a benchmark in terms of sustainability within the terminals of the Hutchison Ports group, which operates 52 terminals in 26 countries.

In September, Hutchison Ports inaugurated the Port of Jazan City for Primary and Downstream Industries (JCPDI) in cooperation with Prince Mohammed bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, the Governor of Jazan Region.

The total existing investments at JCPDI sum to about SAR88 billion ($23 billion), although the city still under construction.

Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily, Ocean Ports

CMA CGM Launches Green Early Container Return Incentive

October 7th, 2022 Port Technology International Team Leave a comment

CMA CGM group has launched an early container return incentive in the US.

TEUs to Trees is designed to increase climate change mitigation in the United States while assisting in the overall effort to improve both the fluidity and velocity of the supply chain.

The group’s new program will provide customers 2.5 tons of carbon credit per container to offset emissions and support US socio-environmental projects.

The carbon credits CMA CGM will purchase on behalf of its customers will notably be used to expand US forestry, support urban resilience projects in vulnerable communities and drive the creation of additional offset projects in the US.

The program will be in effect from 1 October 2022, to 30 December 2022.

READ: CMA CGM, ENGIE plough €150 million to Salamander biomethane project

Credits will be provided to CMA CGM customers that return both dry and refrigerated containers originating from nearly 20 Asian countries to CMA CGM-approved return locations in port cities throughout the United States (rail ramps not included).

Throughout the program, each applicable importer of record (consignee listed on the Bill of Lading) will receive: 2.5 tons of carbon credits per container returned during calendar days 1–4. To calculate the credit, CMA CGM will utilize EDI transaction data and will not require invoices or additional documentation from customers.

Customers will also receive a progress report every 30 days. At the end of the program, customers will be issued an official carbon offset certificate for total credits earned.

In September the group announced a new $1.5 billion Special Fund for Energies to accelerate its energy transition and achieve net-zero carbon by 2050.

Archives, Global Trade Daily, News, Ocean Ports

Maersk Announces New Eco-solution for Reefer Exports

October 5th, 2022 Port Technology International Team Leave a comment

Sealand, Maersk’s intra-European logistics expert subsidiary, is launching a rail service from Spain to UK to ease supply chain bottlenecks.

The transport option is especially designed for temperature sensitive cargo like fruits and vegetables; the trains will also carry non-refrigerated cargo on their southbound journey from UK back to Spain.

The service will initially have three weekly departures from Valencia terminal to the Barking terminal in East London. Regular departures will start from the end of October.

“Our new product solves several challenges that our reefer customers in Spain are faced with when exporting,” said Diego Perdones Montero, Area Managing Director France, Iberia and Maghreb.

“Firstly, many large retailers want to reduce the carbon footprint of the products they sell. Secondly, we have a prevailing shortage of truck drivers, which means that currently cross-border road transport is often limited and unreliable. Thirdly, capacity and quality of the major roads are limited which leads to congestion.

“Our rail transport makes Spanish exporters independent from the driver shortage as well as road bottlenecks and offers more than 90 per cent lower CO2 emissions than a truck on the road.”

READ: German ports congestion unwinds matching European trend

Over 90 per cent of exports are going North resulting in up to 1,400 trucks daily crossing the northern Spanish border towards the main markets in UK, France, Benelux, Germany, and Scandinavia, according to Maersk.

Montero added that more destinations could follow in a bid to offer a more reliable landside distribution network via and help create faster, greener, and more efficient routes.

The Danish giant will also boost its supply chains with additional logistics services, ranging from customs brokerage or cold storage to Captain Peter – a technology ensuring full data transparency about cargo conditions.

Maersk recently signed leases for three new low-emissions distribution centers in Doncaster and Dublin.

The first lease comprises a 15-year lease for a new warehouse in Doncaster with multimodal connections – including road, rail, and air.

Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily, News, Ocean Ports

Port of Gothenburg to become Europe’s first green e-fuels hub

September 16th, 2022 Port Technology International Team Leave a comment

Gothenburg Port Authority is collaborating with Stena Line, DFDS, Ørsted and Liquid Wind to establish Europe’s first electromethanol (e-fuels) hub.

The parties are engaging to set up an eMethanol value chain with the determination to have significant volumes of eMethanol accessible at the Port of Gothenburg.

The hub intends to launch in 2025.

“We are very pleased to have been able to get to this point,” said Elvir Dzanic, CEO at the Gothenburg Port Authority.

“This is a prime example of companies committed to the decarbonization of the shipping industry lining up their green agendas towards a common goal that is working in the favor of all involved.”

“We are excited that customers, suppliers and competitors alike show commitment and collaborate to decarbonize our industry. With eMethanol from this partnership, DFDS is adding a new e-fuel possibility to deliver on our promise to operate a green vessel by 2025,” said Torben Carlsen, CEO of DFDS.

Liquid Wind and Ørsteds eMethanol production facility FlagshipONE is in late-stage development and approaching a final investment decision. It will be the largest e-fuels facility in the world, producing 50,000 tons of eMethanol annually.

In April earlier this year, the Gothenburg Port Authority published general methanol operating regulations for ship-to-ship bunkering.

Setting up an eMethanol value chain is a logical progression according to Christoffer Lillhage, Senior Business Development Manager Energy at the Gothenburg Port Authority: ”Together with these brave first movers we are now well on the way to establishing the Port of Gothenburg as the primary bunkering hub for future marine fuels in northern Europe, and we are convinced that more ship owners and fuel producers will join us in this journey of decarbonization.”

The Port of Gothenburg has handled 430,000 TEU in January to June in 2022 – a 5 per cent increase on last year’s levels.

Archives, Global Trade Daily, News, Ocean Ports, Uncategorized

MSC, Shell and Partners launch Initiative to Reduce Industry Methane Emissions

September 15th, 2022 Port Technology International Team Leave a comment

A collective of firms including MSC and Shell have launched a new strategy to reduce methane emissions from vessels.

According to a report from Reuters, initiative supporters include ship certifier Lloyds Register.

In a statement, the supporters noted there were no globally recognized methods for measuring methane slip – unburned fuel that is not fully combusted in a vessel’s engines – and reaffirmed the importance of clarity in methane emissions measurements.

The Reuters report notes that shipping firms are increasingly trialling low or zero-emission fuels including biofuel, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), and methanol.

READ: Maersk signs green bio-methanol partnership with Debo

However, LNG-powered vessels, for example, can leak unburned methane into the atmosphere when a ship is running – a much more potent greenhouse gas (GHG) than CO₂.

Members will pilot new technologies to gauge and drive down methane slip from LNG-powered vessels. The statement added that once the solutions have been validated, the collective will look to implement them in industry from 2023 onwards.

Earlier this month the CMA CGM Group announced a new Special Fund for Energies to accelerate its energy transition and achieve net-zero carbon by 2050.

Shipping group Maran Gas Maritime, among the seven partners involved, said it had “long been convinced of the advantages of LNG as a clean burning fuel”.

“However, in light of the strong warming potential of methane releases to the atmosphere, keeping tight control over methane emissions is critical to ensure that LNG’s overall GHG footprint delivers as much GHG reduction as possible,” Andreas Spertos, EVP-Technical Director with Maran Gas Maritime said.

Earlier this month ZIM shipping signed a 10-year LNG agreement with Shell.

Archives, Global Trade Daily, News

Shell and CMA CGM Group have Signed Agreements to Accelerate Decarbonization across the Marine Sector

July 13th, 2022 Port Technology International Team Leave a comment

The agreements comprise a multi-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) agreement to supply LNG to CMA CGM’s 13,000 TEU vessels in the Port of Singapore from the second half of 2023.

The news follows the announcement from Shell to supply CMA CGM with “tens of thousands of tons of marine biofuel”.

FueLNG, a joint venture between a unit of Shell in Singapore and Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), will undertake the simultaneous operation (SIMOPS) LNG bunkering by utilizing FueLNG Bellina – already in operation – and an 18,000m3 LNG bunker vessel – coming into service in 2023.

The parties have further signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that encompasses the advancement of low-carbon marine fuels for new and existing vessels; the delivery of innovative technical solutions, which include LNG and hydrogen blending, methane slip abatement technologies and fuel cell technology development; exploring voluntary and mandated trading mechanisms for carbon credits; and joint advocacy for net-zero emissions policies.

“Collaboration and partnership are critical in paving the way, which will include a mosaic of lower-carbon fuels, technology sharing and partnership projects to realize a net zero future in shipping,” said Melissa Williams, Vice President Marine, Sectors & Decarbonization at Shell.

“Thus, I am excited about our agreement with CMA CGM as it allows both businesses to bring their respective scale and size to drive impactful change in the industry – helping our customers to overcome their challenges and meet their ambitious decarbonization goals in the process.

“As Shell and CMA CGM are long standing partners, both companies plan to extend their partnership to the road and aviation sectors in the future. In doing so, this demonstrates the vital role effective partnerships will play in accelerating decarbonization in shipping and beyond.”

Last year, Shell and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) agreed to work closely together to help accelerate the decarbonization of the global shipping sector.

The companies planned to develop a range of technologies that can reduce emissions from existing assets and help to enable a net-zero emissions future for shipping.

Archives, Global Trade Daily, Ocean Ports, Technology

Port of Rotterdam to Start Green Hydrogen Trial

June 16th, 2022 Port Technology International Team Leave a comment

The Port of Rotterdam has scheduled a trial for green hydrogen production at the Sif factory on the Maasvlakte for 2023.

As part of the AmpHytrite project, monopile producer Sif will work together with Pondera, KCI the engineers, and GE Renewable Energy. The partners have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to ‘get a grip’ on the production of green hydrogen at sea, Rotterdam port wrote.

The AmpHytrite project will consist of three phases: first, a feasibility study into offshore offgrid production of green hydrogen; a second phase to develop and build a production unit that will be placed near the Sif factory on the Maasvlakte; and third the project will see a scaling up phase to apply the concept on a full scale in a wind farm at sea.

During the second phase, the production unit will run exclusively on the power generated by the Haliade wind turbine located on the Sif site.

The companies’ aim is to produce 750 tons of green hydrogen a year.

The news follows Uniper and the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s agreement to produce green hydrogen at the Uniper location on Maasvlakte.

The plans build on the findings of a previous feasibility study and are in line with the new hydrogen infrastructure that has been planned and the growing demand for sustainable hydrogen from the Rotterdam petrochemical industry.

The Port of Rotterdam recently announced several other projects on the horizon in its mission to achieve sustainability across the maritime industry; these include a new battery recycling factory in cooperation with TES and a new plastic recycling plant arriving by the end of 2022.

3pls, Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily, News, Ocean Carriers, Technology

Port of Antwerp-Bruges Prepares First Hydrogen-Powered Tugboat

May 26th, 2022 Port Technology International Team Leave a comment

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges and CMB.TECH will soon welcome the first hydrogen-powered tugboat furthering the port’s transition towards sustainability.

The Hydrotug consists of two BeHydro V12 fuel medium speed engines that can run on both hydrogen and traditional fuel and it can store 415 kilograms of compressed hydrogen in six stillages installed on deck, eliminating the emission’s equivalent of 350 cars.

The first water launch of the Hydrotug at Armón Shipyards in Navia Spain took place on 16 May; sea trials will follow later this year upon completion of remaining construction works on the ship.

The tugboat is expected to become fully operational in the first quarter of 2023.

“We are delighted that Port of Antwerp-Bruges will be the first user of Hydrotug, the world’s largest hydrogen-powered vessel,” said Roy Campe, CTO of CMB.TECH.

“The technology has been approved by Lloyd’s Register and we are ready to approach the global market of 10,000 tugs.”

“With this technology we can significantly improve the air quality in ports and bring hydrogen technology to every port worldwide.”

The acquisition is part of an integral greening programme for the Port of Antwerp-Bruges fleet and, according to the port authority, marks an important step in the transition to a sustainable, climate neutral port by 2050.

Last 22 April, the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge completed their long-awaited merger during an extraordinary general meeting.

3pls, Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily, Ocean Ports, Uncategorized

Port of Seattle to Establish World’s First Cruise-led Green Corridor

May 25th, 2022 Port Technology International Team Leave a comment

The Port of Seattle, City and Borough of Juneau, and Vancouver Fraser Port Authority together with leading global cruise lines will cooperate to initiate the world’s first cruise-led green corridor.

The partnership is aimed at exploring the feasibility of a green corridor to accelerate the deployment of zero greenhouse gas emission ships and operations between Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington.

The First Mover Commitment was announced during the International Association of Ports and Harbors World Ports Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The partners have agreed to:

Work together to explore the feasibility of a green corridor in the Pacific Northwest of North America, including, but not limited to, further defining the scope and application of this concept;
Enhance and support the emission-reduction efforts already underway and use the green corridor as a testbed for low and zero greenhouse gas technologies and ships, as feasible; and
Work collaboratively to define the governance structures, terms, and frameworks needed to guide the regional effort.

“These first movers are coming together around the need to address the most pressing issue of our time — climate change,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Fred Felleman.

“By exploring the development of a Green Corridor, we’re bringing resources and technological advancements to this region where commercially viable zero greenhouse gas emissions ships may sail that much sooner.

“We’re not naïve about the challenges ahead. But we recognise the urgency to act as we transition to an inclusive blue economy that works for the climate, commerce, and communities alike.”

The project supports the Clydebank Declaration signed by 24 countries in 2021 to support the establishment of at least six green corridors by 2025 and follows industry’s efforts to a net-zero transition.

Foremost Farms USA Joins Vanguard Renewables in Advancing Sustainable Dairy Practices

most viewed today