The MAGPIE and PIONEERS Ports projects jointly hosted an interactive session during the ESPO Conference 2025 titled “Green Port Master planning: Taking the lessons from European projects to your port”. Caya Hein, Project Leader at the AIVP and Work Package 2 leader “Communication, Dissemination, and Stakeholder Engagement”, introduced the session, presenting the MAGPIE and PIONEER projects and giving a short statement on behalf of the CLARION and SAFARI Ports projects. Maaike Dalhuisen, from Port of Rotterdam and Work Package 9 leader “Master plan for European Green Ports”, as well as Inge De Wolf, from Port of Antwerp-Bruges and project coordinator of the PIONEERS project, each presented their respective project’s master plans and processes, sharing key insights and lessons learned. By the end of 2026, MAGPIE and MAGPIE’s partner project PIONEERS will deliver a Master Plan to help European ports achieve zero emissions by 2050.
The term “green ports” can be defined as ports that aim to minimize their ecological footprint through various measures, including reducing their air and water pollution, optimizing energy consumption, using renewable energy sources, promoting sustainable modalities, etc. Maaike Dalhuisen and Inge De Wolf moderated intense discussions on the expectations, needs, and benefits of European ports for a Green Port Masterplan. What is a “green port” and how can European ports take the necessary steps to earn this label? What are the necessary elements in a Master Plan that can help European ports take the key steps towards their goal? During the breakout session at the ESPO Conference, the aim was to discuss these questions with other European ports. The audience was split into two groups and asked to provide feedback directly on each project’s master plan, which were presented beforehand, as well as on their expectations for a single European Green Port Master Plan.
By the end of 2026, MAGPIE and PIONEERS will deliver a Master Plan to help European ports achieve zero emissions by 2050. The feedback obtained during this workshop will directly impact the deliverables that will be presented to the European Commission. The AIVP is involved in the process of creating this master plan, having worked with Michele Acciaro, an AIVP expert, to create a categorization of ports in regards to the energy transition. AIVP is also involved in the development of the Vision, the Roadmap, and the Handbook, all key elements of the final MAGPIE Master plan. We ensure that the port city relations and the citizens’ interests are considered as well.
