In the Italian port city of Ancona, the port authority, the municipality, the harbormaster office, and the cruise and ferry companies have signed the Ancona Blue Agreement, an MoU to reduce polluting emissions. The agreement anticipates the implementation of the targets of the new Marpol legislation that will transform the Mediterranean Sea into a Seca (Sulfur emission control area) within the next six months. This agreement will be enforced on May 1st, 2025, and will imply using fuels with a reduced sulfur content, not exceeding 0,1% compared to the current 0,5%.

Asyaport (Turkey) has announced that it has successfully implemented onshore power supply for container ships. This is in line with its commitment and other projects to decarbonize supply chains. The 3-year project employed mainly domestic and national equipment to further reduce emissions and will be able to charge 2 vessels and 3 feeder vessels simultaneously. In Seattle (USA), the Port celebrated the completion of the electric infrastructure upgrade at the Bell Street Cruise Terminal at Pier 66. The Port of Seattle is now able to power 3 cruise ships simultaneously. The majority of the electricity is sourced from hydroelectric dams in the region. This is also part of the work that Port of Seattle is doing for the Green Cruise Corridor.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the 55 ports to receive nearly $3 billion to boost climate-friendly equipment and infrastructure. It is estimated that this will also support 40,000 union jobs across the country and slash more than 3 million metric tons of CO2. Ports receiving money include the ports of Savannah, Brunswick, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Oakland. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will receive $347 million which will fund the Truck Replacement Program and the Clean Vessel Incentive. The Port of Hawai’i will use its $59.2 million to buy hydrogen-fueled tractors destined for Sand Island Container Terminal. The Port of San Diego will electrify the maritime cargo handling facilities and freight transportation with its $58.6 million.

Landscape architects Turenscape have turned an old concrete sea wall in Haikou (China) into a public space called “A Breathing Sea Wall”. Stretching for 3.72 km along the beach, the project aims to roll back the environmental damage caused by the original wall, which led to increased soil salinity levels. The new, terraced structure is covered with plants and allows water to run off naturally, promoting infiltration and improving the way rainwater is managed. The development is part of a wider effort to address the problem of rising sea levels whilst restoring the local ecosystem.

The eleven winners of the latest edition of the port innovation challenge in Marseille (France) were announced at the end of October. Originally launched in collaboration with the local chamber of commerce and university, this year’s competition tasked entrants with meeting nine challenges laid down by port community stakeholders. The winners will each receive six months of technical support and €15,000 to help develop and test their solutions, aimed at answering a range of problems from improving the efficiency of port activities and the passenger experience, to optimising rainwater management, implementing tidal energy, and cleaning up contaminated soils.