There is no doubt that hydrogen could cause a revolution as a new marine fuel. Nevertheless, some practical questions arise, which have repercussions for port-city relations. Experts at Lloyd’s Register explain that the energy potential of hydrogen is between 2 and 4 times less concentrated than in hydrocarbons. Larger stocks will therefore have to be held. This will require additional land on which to install appropriate tanks, as well as buffer zones given the hazards associated with this product. Bearing in mind the prevailing pressure on real estate in large cities, obtaining new sites would appear to pose a problem. The solution proposed by the Port of Rotterdam (Holland), Mitsubishi, Koole Terminals and Chiyoda looks promising: re-use existing infrastructure! We will give new life to old bulk liquid terminals. To allow this to happen, the hydrogen will have to be stored in the form of MCH (Methylcyclohexane) rather than its “classic” form. A process called “SPERA Hydrogen” was tested in 2020 on an inaugural voyage between Japan and Brunei.

The pandemic set back the renovation of the luxury Puerto Norte Hotel and its restaurant. Created in converted silos, it is one of the emblematic buildings of the port city operation in the Puerto Norte sector, as those who took part in the AIVP Post Conference in 2010 discovered. The Puerto Norte operation is in turn a model for the project programmed in San Lorenzo, a city located 23 km north of Rosario on the banks of the Paraná River. The plans include residential areas, offices and shops. The site will be completed by a new promenade and recreational public spaces, offering the city’s inhabitants a modified landscape and a new attraction.

More than 191 teams submitted proposals to the competition organisers, a great success which also demonstrates the degree of interest in this Maritime Museum project. The winning team, coordinated by Rodrigo Quintella Messina, a Brazilian architect and city-planner, made use of the proximity of the site to water and the port imaginary to present their project as a common space which will bring future visitors together despite cultural differences. The Museum will be yet another element in a cultural complex that already contains five cultural facilities.

It is crucial to invest in the development of the local community to maintain a sustainable port-city relationship. One example of this is the case of the port of Dublin (Ireland), that has launched the 2021 edition of its scholarship programme to provide opportunities for individuals living in the port to pursue their educational path. Another option is partnering up with local institutions as it happens in San Antonio (Chile), where the port authority signed an agreement with the Science Park to work together in the development of educational activities for local children and teenagers. The program will include courses technical courses for young adults. These kinds of agreements can also help develop the human capital in the port community, as the one it shows the new convention signed by the port of Buenos Aires (Argentina) and the Transport Safety Board (JST) for training and technical assistance.

Two new projects in north and south Europe will facilitate the access to maritime heritage and create new knowledge. In Riga, the port authority is launching new virtual tours for the Miķeļbāka, Kolka and Irbe lighthouses. The tours are designed by combining various panoramic photos and will also include historical and interesting audio stories. This initiative is part of the Digital Port project of the Port of Riga implemented last year and will be concluded in the autumn of 2022. In Lisbon, a new project named “Almada” has been launched to study the legacy of Almada Negreiros’ mural painting, one of the key figures of the avant-garde and modernism in Portugal. Among the sites to be studied are the murals in maritime stations of Alcântara and Rocha do Conde de Óbidos. The project is a collaboration of the Port of Lisbon with the Universities of Evora and Nova of Lisbon and the Directorate-General of Cultural Heritage.