The Ministry of Transport has brokered a deal between the port of Auckland (New Zealand) and the city’s municipal authority. Under the agreement, the two sides will cooperate on land use, financial matters, and the port’s development over the period leading up to 2040. The plan will also see the port move from the city centre, with its container terminals being relocated to a new site further east.  The land freed up on the waterfront will be partly sold off, but public promenades will also be created for the benefit of all residents. Finally, investments will be made in the bus and metro networks, to ease congestion in the centre of the city. The aim is to quadruple the number of passengers using these public transport options by 2028, compared with the pre-Covid levels.

The steel industry is CO2 intensive, and involves processes that are difficult to decarbonise. One option would be to capture the CO2 emitted. But what happens next? The Flemish ports of North Sea Port, Ghent, and Antwerp-Brussels (Belgium) have each come up with an original solution. At North Sea Port, the Arcelor Mittal plant – one of the largest in Europe – is set to recycle its CO2 in the form of bio-ethanol. The innovative approach is part of the port authority’s circular economy plan. The second initiative, at Antwerp-Brussels, will see the port join forces with the firm Fluxys to build a CO2 transportation and liquefaction circuit.  Once converted into its liquid form, the CO2 can then be easily shipped by boat.

The Gabonese government has been developing a green city project in “La Baie des Rois”, on the coast of the capital Libreville, since 2013. The project includes the creation of natural spaces and environmentally friendly housing made from local materials and powered by solar energy. Recently, the Gabonese Fund for Strategic Investment signed an agreement to construct two new eco-responsible buildings covering 9000 m2. The aim of this project is to help boost the urban and sustainable development of Libreville consistent with the UN SDGs.

The 7^th of December marked the official presentation of the International Educational project “Sea and Sky of Peace”, in which the AIVP member the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority is a leading partner. The project aims to develop an educational network that allows for cultural exchanges between children of different nationalities and cultures in line with the UN Agenda 2030 guidelines for sustainable development and the creation of regional peace bridges. The two-year project involves over 1000 elementary school children and four cities: Venice (Italy), Beirut (Lebanon), Istanbul (Turkey), and Messini/Petalidi (Greece). This project is in line with the interests of the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority and with Goal 6 “Port Culture and Identity” of the AIVP Agenda 2030.