The port of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire (France) is looking to position itself as a key stakeholder in the floating wind power industry with the Eole project. In response to the race for ever larger turbines that can now reach heights of up to 270 metres, the project aims to expand the port’s infrastructures with the construction of a new 780 metre turbine assembly wharf. ADEME is backing the scheme with €190m in funding. Meanwhile, Poland is also pursuing its commitment to renewables innovation as construction work begins on its new training centre. The goal is to reproduce the working conditions found on offshore sites, providing upskilling opportunities and generating interest in the sector among local and international workers.

The mayor of Valencia (Spain) and the president of the Port Authority held the first meeting of the Inter-administrative Cooperation Body City Hall-Port to manage the spaces of the old dock of the Port. Both institutions are working together on 3 rehabilitation and landscape integration projects, which will focus on the surroundings of the Clock Building, the Paseo Elevado (Elevated Walkway) de la Marina and the Customs Wharf to improve these public spaces which the public can enjoy. The announced projects are worth €14 million and will improve the accessibility, landscaping, and infrastructure of the area. The goal is to boost La Marina as an innovation hub and be able to complete key projects by 2027.

In the Port of Guyane (France) three apiaries housing two species of bees were established in three different locations, away from the daily activities of the personnel working on this site, with signage warning of the activity. The ‘API PORT’ biomonitoring system will enable the collection of fine particles from the bees‘ hairs, which are analysed to determine the pollutants in the air and their impact on the surrounding biodiversity. The project will run throughout 2025 and honey ’made in GPM-Guyane’ will be harvested on site. In Piran (Slovenia), connected sentinel oysters, named molluSCAN-eye, have been deployed to monitor the water quality in real time. The slightest variations in the oyster’s behaviour allow insights into environmental anomalies and aquatic biodiversity health.  

The Port of Helsinki (Finland) set the goal of making its own operations – emissions generated by port buildings, by port vehicles and machinery, and business travel – carbon neutral back in 2019. Since the beginning of 2025, as the district heating procured by the Port is now also produced with renewable energy, the port authority has achieved its objective. The remaining emissions, i.e. 2.6% of the emissions, are compensated for with carbon offset credits. The port authority purchases voluntary carbon offset credits through Carboreal to invest in Finnish afforestation projects. The port authority is also aware that it accounts for circa 4% of the total emissions generated by the port area and therefore will continue cooperating with different actors to further reduce emissions.

The legendary SS United States departed the port of Philadelphia (USA) in mid-February on a long voyage that will see it cleaned and sunk in the Gulf of Mexico, becoming the largest artificial reef in the world. Launched in 1952, the ship became famous for making the fastest-ever transatlantic crossing between Southampton (UK) and New York (USA), beating the previous record by three days and ten hours. Its passengers included four US Presidents and numerous celebrities, but the SS United States was withdrawn from service after just 17 years, as the rise of aviation saw airliners replace ocean liners as the preferred means of crossing the Atlantic. It changed ownership several times and was the subject of various restoration projects before eventually being abandoned at the Port of Philadelphia in 1996. The ship’s current owners have decided to hand her over to Okaloosa County, Florida, where she will become a diving attraction and a biodiversity site. The task of preparing the liner for her final assignment is expected to take around one year and cost a total of $10m.