The Port of Barcelona (Spain) and the World Trade Center Barcelona are launching BlueTechPort, a new European hub dedicated to innovation in the blue economy. The historic Sant Bertran port warehouses will be transformed into 25,000 m² of laboratories and offices, accommodating up to 2,500 professionals, with a budget of €60 million. The hub will operate as an experimental ecosystem, allowing companies, startups, and institutions to test innovations directly at the port. From 2028, the ecosystem will integrate initiatives such as the Barcelona Port Innovation Foundation and projects from the Ports 4.0 program. Currently, 22 companies are actively participating. BlueTechPort aims to position Barcelona as a European leader in port technologies and the blue economy.

Voies Navigables de France (VNF) is renewing port governance on the Moselle River to support the development of river transport in the eastern region of France. Ports de Lorraine, VNF’s first port subsidiary, was created as a public company. It brings together 34 port platforms in 22 municipalities and enables it to achieve a “minimum critical size” to compete with its rivals. Ports de Lorraine plans to invest €30 million to achieve the development potential estimated to be two to four times greater than the current situation, with traffic increasing from the current 5 Mt/year to 10 or 20 Mt. This new structure will also make it possible to attract new types of subsidies (European funds, etc.). The management of five public ports has been awarded to the Lorraine Multi Hubs consortium, comprising Rhenus, Modalis, MGE, and the Grand Port Maritime de Dunkerque, for a period of 15 years.

To address climate and social issues, architects are increasingly focusing on the circular economy and the reuse of materials to propose new living spaces that are more resource-efficient. The architecture magazine Architizer invites us to imagine how decommissioned ships could be used to build cities, offering a list of projects from architectural firms around the world. These projects seek to address the issue of how to house a growing population by providing new residential and public spaces while promoting the reuse of old ships, even if it means radically transforming their image. One example is the reuse of an aircraft carrier by Studio Andrea Dragoni, which proposes to transform a ship symbolising war and environmental degradation into a place where life is reborn and flourishes.

The executive project for the Underwater Tunnel in Genoa (Italy) was approved with the adoption of Ministerial Decree no. 1/2026. The tunnel is a longstanding idea that aims to improve urban mobility between the West and East sides of the city, going under the port. Another major infrastructure project underway is the new Breakwater. The port uses a network of sensors to monitor the seafloor and how it reacts during the breakwater construction, particularly during the positioning of the caissons. A vessel monitors other variables to ensure a sustainable development: the quantity of gravel deposited, the position and movement of the barges operating at sea, the demolition works on the old structure, and the positioning of moorings for operational vessels.

In Hawai‘i (USA), a new “Green Fee” aimed at funding climate resilience has sparked strong opposition from the cruise sector. Signed into law in 2025, the measure raises the Transient Accommodations Tax from 10.25% to 11% and, for the first time, applies an 11% tax to cruise fares for each day ships are in Hawaiian waters, with counties allowed to add a further 3%, bringing the total to up to 14%. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) challenged the measure, arguing it violates constitutional rules on interstate commerce and waterway use. A U.S. appeals court has temporarily suspended the cruise tax pending appeal, while the rest of the law remains in force. State authorities say the fee could generate around $100 million annually for coastal protection, shoreline restoration, and climate adaptation, highlighting ongoing tensions between sustainable tourism financing and cruise industry concerns.

As of January 1, 2026, the new Port of Casablanca cruise terminal (Morocco) operating concession was transferred to Global Ports Holding (GPH) through its subsidiary, Casablanca Cruise Port, granting the terminal privileged access to global cruise line networks. Inaugurated in September 2025, the terminal welcomed 53 cruise ships and nearly 90,000 visitors in just four months, confirming Casablanca’s role as a major tourism hub on both the Atlantic and Mediterranean seaboards.