Lighthouse has been appointed to operate the Swedish Transport Administration's program for sustainable shipping. The program runs for 10 years and comprises SEK 100 million of state funds supplemented by part-financing from the industry.

“Now we can jointly take on the challenges to achieve a competitive, sustainable shipping industry,” Harry Robertsson, Technical Director of Stena and Chairman of Lighthouse Board, says. “Lighthouse was initiated as an organization already in 2006 and this means that we can continue to be a national center that gathers companies, universities and institutes around relevant issues in our industry.”

It is usually said that shipping is an energy-efficient mode of transport compared to road and air. But the fact is that shipping, which transports more than 90 percent of all goods in the world, has not had the same development as other modes of transport when it comes to sustainable solutions.

“Shipping offers great opportunities but faces major challenges and must radically reduce its emissions in order to be a sustainable transportation alternative in the future. The other aspects of sustainability are also important to work with, so that maritime transport can be offered at competitive terms and with a good and developing work environment,” says Åsa Burman, head of operations, Lighthouse.

Within the industry program Sustainable shipping, collaboration will take place between a large number of actors from both industry, academia and institutions, and society. The shipping expertise in the platform is in some respects world-leading and otherwise constitutes the tip of Swedish research and development in the shipping area.

"We at the Swedish Transport Administration see that the industry program will make a joint force gathering on strategically important sustainability issues of importance to the maritime transport system and Sweden's competitiveness, as well as conduct the research, development and innovation required to make Swedish shipping more sustainable. Our hope is that the shipping industry wants to invest even more in sustainable development, now that the state contributes to a long-term basis for knowledge development and innovation,” Rein Jüriado of the Swedish Transport Administration says.

Among the program participants are industry organizations such as Svensk Sjöfart and the Swedish Ports, shipping companies, ports and marine technical companies. From the academy Chalmers, KTH, Gothenburg University and Linnaeus University participate. In addition, research institutes such as RISE, SSPA, IVL Swedish Environmental Institute and the National Road and Transport Institute, VTI and public actors such as the Swedish Maritime Administration and the Västra Götaland region participate.

Contact:
Lighthouse: Åsa Burman, 031-772 26 74
Trafikverket: Rein Jüriado, 010-123 49 23