Last week, an ambitious coalition was officially formed in Japan, dubbed the “Council for the Promotion of Shore Power”. Its members include giants MOL and Mitsubishi, alongside R&D firms like e-Mobility Power, and federations such as the Japanese Association for Naval Technological Research. The Development Bank of Japan is also a full member of the group in its own right. The cities of Kobe and Yokohama are participating with an observer status. The aim is for pilot shore power projects to be up and runningin the Tokyo region by 2025, in order to show that the system can work effectively for freight, fishing, and pleasure vessels.

Municipal council leaders in Amsterdam (Netherlands) have announced that they want to study a potential relocation of the existing cruise terminal on the river Ij to a new site. The move would free up land in the very centre of the city and allow a bridge to be built to the north bank, one of the rare districts where homes are still affordable. A referendum was previously announced to gauge the public’s views of cruise activity in the heart of the Dutch capital. They had voted in favour of proposals to regulate the activity. This is part of a wider plan by the city council to limit visitor numbers to 20 million a year. However, the decision has not yet been taken and discussions are still underway with cruise ship owners who wish to invest in greening the business.

The Port of Halifax (Canada) has been seeing continuous improvements in their air quality since the implementation of their Harbour Dues Incentive program. The program encourages container and RoRo vessels to voluntarily register and meet the Environmental Ship Index’s (ESI) requirements in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by offering annual rebates to them. Between 2022 and 2023, vessels meeting this criterion have increased from 83 to 128. Another project that is being instituted in Halifax supports the advancement of a net-zero economy through work-integrated learning. The partners PIER and BHER hope to transform an energy-intensive and polluting industry through the participation of students in skill building experiences including hackathons, industry projects, and traditional internships.

Genoa (Italy) has just welcomed the “Uncontained Art” project in front of its National Museum of Italian Emigration. Uncontained Art is a Rotterdam-based (Netherlands) art platform, build inside/around a shipping container and travelling from port to port along historic commercial routes. The project exhibits cultural goods, ideas and stories, with the aim to connect artists and creative thinkers from diverse port cities and establish an overarching port narrative. The container will open to the public on Friday, July 21 and the exhibition will be open to the public free of charge, inviting Genoa’s citizens to explore port city culture from across Europe.

The first section of the Calata Paita, one of the areas of the waterfront redevelopment plan taken forward by the Port System Authority of the Eastern Ligurian Sea (Italy), opened its door to the public on the 24^th of July. The area, covering 5000 m² also includes 14 buildings raging between 25 and 45 sqm that will host commercial activities such as bars and restaurants, and entertainment, sports, and leisure facilities. The project, developed in cooperation with the municipality, implies an investment by the Port Authority €4,4 million. The design solutions adopted are all about environmental and energy sustainability. A greenery strip will combat the “heat island” effect and act as buffer towards the other functions of the port. The area is illuminated by LED streetlights, while the buildings are all equipped with photovoltaic systems.