EXCLUSIVE: Seychelles green ports look to Swedish ingenuity

The aim was to set up similar initiatives as the African island nation seeks quick fix solutions to its marine emissions and inadequate smart port infrastructure.

Its mission, outlined in the 2019-2023 strategic plan by the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA), revealed the port operator’s intention to go all out to “study the implications and setup of green port initiatives in other ports where a strategy is already established”.

In the long term, the plan is to ensure Seychelles maritime industry achieves the delicate balance between the drive for increased port revenues and also meet the urgent global push for environmentally sound port management regimes.

Green partnership

SPA hit an important milestone in its mission when in May 2025 it signed an agreement with with RISE Research Institutes of Sweden to support green initiatives at the Port of Victoria, the country’s major cargo maritime gateway.

The port authority, a government agency that governs and operates all the island country’s ports, demonstrated preference for the green achievements of the ports in Sweden and struck a partnership with RISE to undertake sustainable programmes similar to the Swedish ports’ innovation project I.Hamn.

I.Hamn is a concept developed by the 52 official Swedish ports to, among other goals, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and install smart port operational systems.

RISE, which is a Swedish research institute and innovation partner, said the green initiatives at Port of Victoria will leverage “the Swedish Concept for Sustainable Ports” and it’s ”confident that this initiative will inspire actionable change far beyond Seychelles.”

Sweden’s ports developed the I.Hamn initiative with financing of the the Swedish Transport Administration’s industry programme ’Sustainable Shipping’ managed by Lighthouse with coordination by RISE, in partnership with the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology.

RISE’s Senior Strategic Research Advisor Dr Mikael Lind was quoted saying Port of Victoria, which is 100% government owned, will, with the Swedish backing “become a catalyst for sustainable transformation in the maritime sector and by leveraging the Swedish Concept for Sustainable Ports, we are confident that this initiative will inspire actionable change far beyond Seychelles.”

Sustainable vision

The Port of Victoria’s green plan, RISE said, will mirror the developments and achievements at the Port of Helsingborg and Kvarken Ports Umeå in Sweden.

Seychelles’ minister for Transport, Antony Derjacques, said during the signing of the agreement between SPA and RISE, the partnership with Sweden, through RISE, “brings global innovation to our shores and strengthens our role as a regional leader in sustainable transport.”

When fully developed, SPA’s Port of Victoria green programme will make the Seychelles, which is the smallest and least populated country in Africa, become the first Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to fully develop a green port and ensure sustainable operations.

SPA, which has previously committed to push for greener status of Port of Victoria to pave a way for its acquisition of Green Port Label or equivalent ISO standards, has, however, admitted financial constraints are somewhat hampering the grand march to greatness.

Tackling barriers

The port faces monumental challenges such as lack of adequate financing to develop key infrastructure including shore power to support reduction of the port-related pollution.

In fact, the operator says lack of financing has hampered modernisation and expansion of the port and development of crucial structures such as additional berth space to accommodate the evolving transshipment practices.

This in turn has lead to a high level of ‘berth shifting’ and consequently a surge in operational costs at the port when compared with other peers ports especially members of the Port Management Association for Eastern & Southern Africa (PMAESA).

SPA as approved plans, yet to be implemented due to financial constraints, which seek to improve sustainability and performance of the port by implementing “energy-saving technologies and practices to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.”

It has also been seeking to develop a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling programme to minimise waste generation.

Despite the hurdles SPA faces in integrating its green port initiatives within its near to long term development plans, its new partner, RISE, says it’s optimistic in Victoria’s ability to embrace and benefit from the Swedish Concept for Sustainable Ports and that the port’s future vision for green development is achievable.