FEATURE
Green ambitions – PD Ports is running a multi-million pound programme to convert older model harbour cranes to run on electricity alone .
PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
Teesport chief outlines bold green vision
PD Ports chief executive officer , Frans Caljé , reflects on the opportunities brought by change and how the company is making its own momentum .
If you want to understand where you are going , you need to understand where you ’ ve come from . PD Ports has been around since 1852 as the custodian and guardian of the River Tees , responsible for its management but also with a role in supporting its wider prosperity .
Teesside has seen the tides of economic change come and go . It saw the surges of steel making , the influx of oil and gas operations in the 70s and then the establishment of the chemical works , which at one time was the largest cluster in Europe .
They all came and went or took a step back .
Now Teesside stands at the forefront of what will be thought of as the fourth industrial revolution – the energy transition .
Teesside always reinvents itself . From the ashes , we rise . And if you look at national policy on the green revolution and energy transition , it ’ s all centred around the Tees Valley – carbon capture , hydrogen , offshore wind capabilities .
The future is uncertain but always very exciting .
The physical attributes of the Tees and its surrounds – the depth of the river , the landbank available , the interconnectivity between the north and south banks – mean that this is the only place in the country where the energy transition project can happen on an industrial scale . At PD Ports , we ’ ll do what we can to support , influence and drive the upcoming revolution , to help Teesside rise once again .
It will not be without its challenges . In order to prepare for whatever the future may throw at you , you need to recognise the world around you is changing and it ’ s expecting you to change , too .
There are many things that will change that are not within your control . It ’ s a fastmoving world .
There are costs , delays and pressures that come with building and updating physical infrastructure , while also keeping on top of the dizzying march of technology – from the challenges and
140 | Tees Business