Global · Case study

Port of Antwerp-Bruges, ISO 50001 energy management certification

Antwerp and Zeebrugge, BelgiumFourth consecutive ISO 50001 certification announced in June 2024

Summary:

Port of Antwerp-Bruges is the port authority for the Antwerp and Zeebrugge platforms, which merged in 2022. The Port Authority uses ISO 50001, the international standard for energy management systems, to manage energy use in its own buildings, locks, bridges, shore power and fleet.

In June 2024 it achieved ISO 50001 certification for the fourth time in a row, and Zeebrugge was included on the certificate for the first time (Port of Antwerp-Bruges, 2024; Cyprus Shipping News, 2024; Port Technology International, 2024). The Port Authority links this work to its aim to be carbon neutral by 2050 (Cyprus Shipping News, 2024).

Approach (Cyprus Shipping News, 2024):

Certify the energy policy. The Port Authority has kept its energy policy under a certified ISO 50001 energy management system and has now been certified four consecutive times.

Extend the scope after the merger. After the 2022 merger, the Port Authority brought the Zeebrugge platform into the certificate alongside Antwerp.

Buy renewable electricity. Since 2011, all electricity used by the Port Authority for buildings, locks, bridges and shore power for inland navigation ships has come from renewable sources. The same applies to its hybrid patrol vessels.

Switch fleet fuels. The tug fleet includes one vessel running on hydrogen and one on methanol, and an electric tug was planned as of June 2024.

Electrify vehicles and buildings. The Port Authority invested in electrifying its vehicle fleet and in making its buildings energy neutral.

Results (Cyprus Shipping News, 2024):

In June 2024 the Port Authority reported that, over the preceding 10 years, it had achieved savings of

9.6 percent on the cost of fuel for its own fleet,
64.8 percent on the cost of natural gas to heat its buildings,
33.8 percent on the cost of electricity for buildings and public lighting, and
27.5 percent on the cost of electricity for bridges and locks.

These are reported cost savings; the announcement does not isolate the effect of certification. The certificate now covers both the Antwerp and Zeebrugge platforms.

Transferability:

DMC port authorities can apply ISO 50001 first to the assets they control directly, such as buildings, lighting, locks, bridges and service craft, where energy data is easier to collect. Tracking energy cost by asset group over several certification cycles gives a simple way to show results. When port entities merge or add new sites, the certificate scope can be widened step by step. Certified energy management can sit alongside renewable electricity purchasing and fleet fuel switching.

Sources

All information used for this case study was based on publicly available resources.