The Port of Sept-Iles (Canada) has launched an environmental performance incentive program for shipowners titled the 5 Stars Blue Program. The program offers discounts on port fees for commercial ships that implement measures to reduce their environmental footprint. Ships are assessed based on a 3-level criteria system, which includes obtaining certifications, installing technologies to reduce air emissions as well as reducing their vessel’s underwater noise. The environmental performance credit applies directly to Harbour Dues and can reach up to 30%. The credit depends on the best level of certification achieved in a program or technologies installed.

David Chipperfield and private developers presented their Port of Málaga (Spain) project on the 6^th of February. This ambitious plan focuses on urban, social, and environmental sustainability. It includes public spaces, gardens, and pedestrian areas, integrating the port with the city with a new two-story promenade, reflecting Andalusian architecture. The project includes a new 144-meter tower that will host a hotel, becoming a new landmark for the waterfront. The plan prioritizes green spaces, natural ventilation, and public accessibility. Landscaped areas encourage walking and social interaction. The final design will be submitted in March, with government approval pending. This is one of several major interventions to improve the port-city interface in the next four years, totaling 100 million € of direct investment by the port authority.

Plans to redevelop the waterfront in Boston (USA) are focused on updating the Designated Port Areas, created in 1978 to protect essential water-dependent industries.  A report by Boston Waterfront Partners proposes a complete overhaul of existing regulations, to adapt these areas for modern economic, environmental, and social issues. The recommendations include strategies to integrate green infrastructure, electrify installations, and develop training programs for local communities to promote inclusion in maritime industries. The aim is to ensure the coastline is used sustainably while guaranteeing positive economic and environmental benefits for the local population.

In tandem with the Senegalese government, the port of Dakar (Senegal) has adopted a new strategy aimed at improving the economic and industrial network around the port, to drive national development. Following discussions with central government, Senegal’s various port authorities are keen to align and ensure each of them has their proper place by creating local port hubs. Part of the initiative is focused on greater complementarity between ports and knowledge transfer from the port of Dakar (particularly in terms of investment funding). One of the aims is to limit the number of road accidents by moving traffic to sea routes.

After the French Council of State dismissed a final appeal against the project, work can now begin on the project nicknamed “La chatière” at the port of Le Havre (France). The plan is to create a channel 1.8 kilometres long and 100 meters wide, protected by a breakwater, to connect the Port 2000 container terminal with the Seine River basin. It aims to give river traffic easier access to the maritime terminals, encouraging a modal shift to inland waterways. The €197 million investment is being funded by the Normandy Region, the French State, the European Union, and Haropa. Preliminary work, including clearing any unexploded World War Two ordnance, got underway recently and is expected to last six months.