PUTRAJAYA: Malaysian ports have taken the initial steps towards the development of a Green Port Policy, meant to guide port operators into becoming both environmentally-friendly and commercially-viable, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
He said the policy was based on three elements namely environment, community engagement and sustainability.
The policy includes initiatives such as ballast water management, study of fuel quality of ships in ports, and environmental as well as energy, electricity and fuel saving initiatives, he said.
Liow said this when delivering his speech at the United Nations Economic And Social Commission for Asia and The Pacific (ESCAP) Ministerial Conference on Transport in Moscow, Thursday.
The text of his speech, which outlined pledges to support sustainable development of the transport sector in Asia and the Pacific, was made available here.
Liow in his address said Malaysia had pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by up to 45 per cent in terms of emission intensity of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030.
“These include initiatives which utilise green technology across the land, aviation as well as maritime transport sectors,” he said.
Under the National Automotive Policy 2014, he said the government was determined to reduce energy consumption and emissions of harmful gas, by encouraging use of energy-efficient vehicles (EEV).
In terms of aviation, in line with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Global Market-Based Measures, he said Malaysia was focused on reducing carbon emissions by 40 per cent.
“We will also be participating in the pilot phase of ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation,” he said. — Bernama