This Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM), funded by the RethinkBlue COST Action and carried out by Prof. Dimitris Gavalas, was conducted at Klaipėda University, Lithuania, to examine how green and digital transition strategies are being implemented in Klaipėda State Seaport and its wider maritime ecosystem. Through a presentation and meetings with the Port Authority, SHIP-PS, and KLASCO, the mission gathered multi-stakeholder evidence on sustainable port development in the Baltic region.
The Port Authority outlined a €775 million four-year investment programme, including development of the port’s southern area, green hydrogen production, fleet electrification, and onshore power supply supported by a €55.5 million Nordic Investment Bank facility expected to reduce emissions by around 2,500 tonnes. Klaipėda is also the first Baltic port to receive the Port Environmental Review System (PERS) certificate. KLASCO, the port’s largest stevedoring company, is diversifying cargo operations amid geopolitical change and investing €12 million in container handling, electric E-Cranes, and digital terminal management. The SHIP-PS visit added insight into the local ship-repair and metal-fabrication ecosystem.
Key outputs include a draft policy brief, Digital and Green Transitions in Practice: Lessons from Klaipėda State Seaport for the Baltic and Beyond, and a planned comparative research article on Baltic port sustainability indicators with Klaipėda University colleagues. The mission also established foundations for future Horizon Europe and Interreg Baltic Sea Region collaborations.
