On January 31st and February 1st, the SEANERGY partners had the pleasure to finally meet in person. This first presential meeting was hosted by the coordinator Magellan Circle at the Crowne Plaza in Porto.
Since, the European Green Deal aiming to transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive economy, ensuring no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050, ports have been considered as essential in the green conversion of transport. The first step towards becoming a climate-neutral continent is to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
Considering that energy transition in ports remains a relatively new topic, this meeting was key to define and decide on the frame of the SEANERGY project. After many discussions, it was agreed that the SEANERGY Project will focus on two main topics:
- The production of energy in ports
- The consumption of energy in ports (such as use of alternative fuels).
Indeed, a port is a transhipment hub and thereby not only a window to the sea. Such ports are visited by multiple transport means and could provide the function of providing energy for the subsequent legs of transportation. Ports can therefore play an important role in the green conversion of maritime and maritime-related transport which is the primary objective of the SEANERGY Project.
Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the components in a sustainable port seen as an energy hub:
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