In August, Plymouth municipal council decided to capitalise on the opportunities opened up by having a free port on its territory. The city is proposing to redevelop disused premises on its waterfront to host residents in a natural and entertaining setting. The new waterfront will also be home to a centre of innovation and numerous blue economy businesses. Finally, to bolster growth and meet export demand, the council will also support efforts to modernise the port infrastructure.

The ANP has just launched its second hackathon to improve the environmental and economic performance of Morocco’s ports. The event runs until 19 September. The first edition of the hackathon saw nearly 500 entrants from around the world tackle the seven challenges set, coming up with 74 innovations. This year, they will need to devise practical and innovative solutions to promote the development of smart ports. Submissions must be in line with the principles of sustainable development, the energy transition, and logistical performance, while promoting exchanges and continuity in port services. The winners will receive a prize of MAD 100,000. 

Having first committed to a decarbonisation project in 2019, the conurbation of La Rochelle achieved a new milestone in August. On 20 September, the city will for the first time host the Positive Territories Forum, and unveil its plan for local coastal redevelopment and the environmental transition in the maritime economy, through a series of round tables including one titled “Imagining the port of tomorrow”. The Forum will help to spread emerging best practices in this territory. It will also strengthen dialogue between the local authority and the City of Paris, which is taking inspiration from La Rochelle’s project for its own sustainable development policy.

During a meeting in Marienborg (Denmark), the leaders of eight Baltic Sea countries – Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, and Sweden – signed a pact to increase offshore wind power capacity sevenfold by 2030. The two-pronged plan involves increasing the amount of LNG fuel imported by sea and, in the longer-term, building subsea interconnectors between nations and onshore transmission infrastructure for wind electricity. The Marienborg Declaration is an important step in strengthening national and European energy independence and boost the green transition.

For the Future Maritime Leaders essay competition, the Global Maritime Forum asked students and young professionals how the maritime sector could continue to contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The winners participated in a virtual seminar this August to elaborate their joint vision, which emphasized the need to improve the overall approach to human capital and work conditions at sea. The discussion resulted in a call for sector leaders to improve on diversity and inclusion, decent work conditions, and overall better career opportunities spanning sea and shore.

From installing shore power, electric cranes and port machines, to retrofitting service vessels to run on batteries, these are the herculean tasks to be tackled by the Inflation Reduction Act. The ports of the United States, from California to New Jersey, are set to receive $3 billion dollars in funding to improve air quality, and another $1 billion to retrofit heavy vehicles. The move is particularly significant, given that 39 million Americans live within 4 km of a port. These citizens will benefit directly from the decarbonisation measures being funded in ports.