MedCruise to share results of sustainability study at Seatrade Cruise Med

The ‘Are We Green Ports? Let’s find out #Together’ presentation will take place between 2-3pm CEST at MedCruise booth #MC12 tomorrow. It will be delivered by Valeria Mangiarotti, marketing manager of the Port Network Authority of the Sardinian Sea and director of the environmental technical solutions department at MedCruise, and Jamil Ouazzani, director of marketing & strategic intelligence at Tangier City Port and director of the ecosystems and sustainability department at MedCruise. 

The study is titled ‘Sustainability Investments and Projects in the Mediterranean Ports Survey 2024.’

Mangiarotti and Ouazzani told Seatrade Cruise, ‘Environmental technical solutions, ecosystems and sustainability are strategic issues for all development policies and have been talked about for several years in all sectors or services. But it is laws, above all, that will force us not only to comply with regulations, but also with our commitments…'

A working document

A total of 25 questions were put to the interviewees, five of which were used to define the type of port and 20 to investigate sustainability issues. 

The first results were positive, showing 88% of respondents have an environmental monitoring programme; a program that analyses the port’s environmental strategies, for instance. 77% of ports chose renewable energy as their strategy.

Related:Line-up for Seatrade Cruise Med 2024 opening keynote confirmed

‘This is a positive figure even if many other challenges remain related to expensive investments such as shorepower – especially for small ports – and in the relationship between the city and the port, in particular for large cruise ports,’ stated the board directors. 

The results were used to generate a map for the MedCruise website showing how many environmental projects are underway at MedCruise member ports and if investments are planned. 

Creating a better world

The data is also added to a working document for each of the MedCruise member ports, providing them with an inventory and a competitive benchmark on strategic issues for their development.

‘We believe and hope that this study can help all MedCruise members not only to understand the environmental reality and the future of ports but also to have a new environmental awareness,’ they added. ‘Today we work to have greener ports, but we know that this awareness will help future generations to have a better world.’ 

Seatrade Cruise Global

The first phase of the study, presented at Seatrade Cruise Global in April, was coordinated and steered by SRM Centro Studi e Ricerche - linked to the Intesa Sanpaolo Group Bank and supported by the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation. 

SRM collected and analysed all data from the association's member ports in the West Med (between the Iberian Peninsula and the north-west coast of Africa), Central Med (between Sicily, Tunisia, and the coast of Libya) and East Med (between Greece, Turkey and the southern coast of Cyprus).

MedCruise at Seatrade Cruise Med

September 10 saw the traditional MedCruise VIP & Seatrade Cruise Med Speakers’ Dinner take place at Hacienda del Álamo. 

Outgoing MedCruise president and chief port officer at Galataport Istanbul, Figen Ayan, will be a speaker on the ‘The State of the Mediterranean Cruise Industry: Partnering for Progress’ panel and join the ‘Common Ground: Port Association Dialogue’ session. 

Mangiarotti will participate in a roundtable titled ‘Navigating the Decarbonisation Journey: Synergies Between Ships and Ports.' 

‘The Positive Economic and Social Impact of Cruise Tourism’ panel will include Aziz Güngör, Global Ports Holding regional director, Eastern Mediterranean; Laura Cimaglia, general and international affairs manager at Port Taranto will appear in the ‘What Does a Sustainable Destination Look Like in Practice?’ panel; Anne-Marie Spinosi, cruise manager at Corsica Ports, will participate in the ‘Professional Women in Cruise Panel & Networking’ event; and Aris Batsoulis, head of technical services & PFSO at Corfu Port Authority, will join the panel ‘Discussing Efficient Berth Allocation Strategies’. 

On September 13, the association will hold its 65^th General Assembly, hosted by the Port of Málaga, with the election of a new president and board of directors for the 2024-2027 term.