Winners were announced in six categories, representing the five areas of interest of the World Ports Sustainability Programme (WPSP).
In the Resilient Infrastructure category, the winner was the Green and Connected (Green C) Ports Project, which pilots the use of sensors, big data and artificial intelligence to : reduce the impact of port operations on their cities, monitors emissions from ports and vessels and optimizes performance of port operations in the EU TEN-T Core Network. The project is coordinated by Fundación Valencia Port with ten other partners including the Piraeus and North Adriatic Seaport Authorities.
Setting the bar
Patrick Verhoeven, managing director of IAPH, said: “Our message to both our winners and runners-up is this : you set the bar in applying the UN Sustainable Development Goals in practice in ports. May many other ports in the world be inspired by your initiatives.”
The Climate and Energy category was won by the LOOP-Ports Project, which analyses a circular economy (CE) approach for a network of EU ports. This is where products, materials and resources are maintained in the economy for as long as possible, and waste is minimised. 44 stakeholders, including 32 port authorities are already engaged in the project.
Community outreach
The Community Outreach & Port City Dialogue award is split into two parts. The winner of focus area 1 – port development and ‘license to operate’, is Singapore’s Next Generation Tuas Port Project by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. The project focused heavily on incorporating sustainability in the construction plans.
Port of Vigo’s Sunset Dock Project was the winner of Focus area 2 – addressing the externalities of port operations. The project was set up to develop innovative practices to achieve sustainability goals by : recovering the good state of marine ecosystems in the port area, promoting awareness of ecosystem conservation in the port area, and reducing carbon emissions through CO2 capture techniques.
Safety first
The Safety and Security award was given to the Port of Açu’s Emergency Preparedness Project, implemented in response to a 2019 oil spill off the coast of Brazil. The project saw the port set up a multi-faceted taskforce to carry out tasks including drills, community engagement, wildlife monitoring and drone flights.
Finally, the Governance and Ethics award was issued to a study on the relevance and application of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises for and by Dutch seaports. This resulted in a list of cargo flows that call for greater attention by the port authorities.
