At the presentation of the 2023 tourist season in Venice (Italy), the port promoted the relocalisation of the cruise docks to Porto Marghera or Chioggia. Liners will tie up on the edge of the city. A speaker will systematically go aboard each ship to explain to the tourists the fragility of the exceptional local environment they are about to visit. The passengers should spend several days on-site, avoiding short stopovers, which cause the most annoyance to local residents and are the least profitable. The goal is ultimately to have 90% of cruises using the city as a point of departure. The municipality of Venice aims to become the main base port for Mediterranean cruises, whilst preserving its heritage, environment, and quality of life.

It will cost over 24 million Canadian dollars to install shore power facilities at the port of Victoria (Canada), which hosts numerous stopovers by cruise liners on the busy route between Seattle and Alaska. The port of Victoria lies in the territory of the Eskimo and Songhee first nations, for whom nature conservation is extremely important. The Province of British Columbia is set to provide funding with a grant of CAD 9 million. Most of the electricity supplied to docked vessels will come from hydro-electric dams.

Foster + Partners, one of the leading global planning and architecture offices, unveiled their masterplan for the new seafront of Larnaca (Cyprus) entitled “The Land of Tomorrow”. The new vision will enhance the land’s ecological value, doubling the length of the waterfront accessible to the public. The office worked closely with the local authorities to integrate the masterplan in the ongoing planning strategies, to improve sustainable mobility, and the development of the blue economy. The project will connect with the existing urban fabric and local identity. Another key feature will be the public space, structured with new plazas, shaded, tree-lined streets, and rewilded water canals. The new construction, characterized by its low-rise, human scale, will be placed between the enhanced ecological zones, facilitating the transition between inland areas and the coastline. New residents, public amenities and businesses will dynamize this new neighborhood of Larnaca.  

Kenya Port Authority has been constructing the Port of Lamu, dredging the area to build the first three berths that recently opened. These works resulted in fisherfolk being unable to carry out their usual activities. Now, three years after a court decision, the Port Authority established the Task Force on Fishermen Compensation to compensate the 4734 fisherfolk with a total of USD 13 million. 65% will be paid directly and 35% will go to sustainability projects related to Lamu County’s fishing activities.

The T4 Adrizado, a Museum of the Sea, will open its doors in the beginning of 2024. Facing the Port Authority of Ceuta (Spain), the museum in the form of a containership is replacing the shed #4. The Port Authority presented the plans at the Social Marine Institute on April 1^st, showcasing the mixed-use nature of the museum with assembly halls, permanent exhibitions, and living areas. This project is in line with the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda’s commitment to modernize the port facilities.