THE PORT OF VIGO PRESENTS A ROADMAP FOR THE DECARBONISATION OF THE FLEET IN BRUSSELS

A delegation from the Port of Vigo, led by its president, Carlos Botana, has traveled to Brussels this week to present to the European Union's Energy Transition Association (DG Mare) a roadmap on potential energy sources and necessary prototypes to facilitate the energy transition of various maritime fleets.

This strategy for decarbonizing the fleet aims to respond to the objective set by the European Commission within the framework of the European Green Deal, which seeks to promote the transition to a sustainable and carbon-free economy.

A global challenge that the institution presided over by Carlos Botana aims to champion, outlining an Atlantic action plan that helps preserve marine ecosystems and contributes to climate change adaptation and mitigation.

To this end, the port's top official presented a document in Brussels outlining a series of proposals related to the most suitable energy sources for each type of maritime fleet, as well as the prototypes necessary to facilitate this transition to sustainable energy.

These proposals were consensus-built across all sectors in a workshop held last year at the Port of Vigo as part of the Atlantic Action Plan, where representatives from different Atlantic regions put forward specific proposals to address the main challenges encountered in adapting different fleets to the requirements of energy transition.

Various Prototypes

Among the prototypes proposed to address the challenges of energy production and supply in maritime environments, promoting sustainability and the adoption of renewable energy sources, highlights include the development of a multi-purpose floating energy platform capable of combining wind and solar energy generation in the marine environment; the design of a solution focused on flexible and mobile energy production and storage on ships or floating platforms; and the creation of a mixed and mobile hydrogen supply point.

Similarly, in the case of port services, there is a commitment to a propulsion system capable of combining hydrogen with another fuel, or the use of ammonia as a clean alternative fuel.

Finally, regarding the fishing sector, there is a need to design an analysis tool to increase fishing capacity with new fuels, the construction of a small-sized electric vessel, or the updating of the European Education System linked to navigation and fishing with new technologies.

A Highly Specialized and Heterogeneous Group

Carlos Botana was appointed coordinator of the strategic axis of Ports of the Atlantic Action Plan in 2022, after relinquishing the presidency of the Blue Ports Network of the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO) in Rotterdam, after three years shaping the policies of the main European terminals in terms of sustainable blue economy.

The working group led by Botana Lagarón is composed of Atlantic ports, research institutions, and national maritime organizations, such as the Socio Economic Marine Research Unit in the National University of Ireland - Galway, the Irish Maritime Development Office, the Portuguese Ports Association, the University of Aveiro (Portugal), or the Union of French Ports, among others.

Obtaining concrete results in the form of proposals and prototype designs is the working line guiding the effort of this highly specialized group. Supporting and promoting the generation of ideas and their materialization into projects will be other basic pillars of the roadmap for these years.