Responsible port infrastructure project

The Living Ports Project which opened earlier this week at the Port of Vigo is an ECOncrete lead project funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme and delivered by a consortium which includes Cardama Shipyards and Denmark Technical University.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, ECOncrete chief executive and co-founder, Dr Ido Sella, said he was honoured to launch the project. “It has been a real team effort,” he said.

“Talented and committed people, from different disciplines, have worked together towards a common net positive goal of setting a new standard for responsible and accountable marine construction,” he added.

Currently, 70% of coastal infrastructure is built with traditional concrete which is not habitable for many types of marine organisms and requires expensive maintenance – estimated to be around €2.2 trillion per year worldwide.

ECOncrete’s revolutionary concrete technology reportedly stores carbon, encourages biodiversity, provides bio-protection benefits and is ‘looking to set new standards in responsible marine construction’ according to Dr Sella who spoke to GreenPort earlier this month.

A key component of the Living Ports Project is the Nautilus underwater observatory, which opened to the public on 24 March. Named after Captain Nemo’s submarine in Jules Verne’s ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’, the observatory offers visitors a unique experience of witnessing first-hand the increased biodiversity on ECOncrete seawalls.