The project Atlantic Blue Ports has organised its first project workshop, followed by a progress meeting in Gorinchem, on May 15 and 16 2018.
During its first six month of activity the consortium has worked to establish a “state of the art”, focusing on oil and ballast water management and covering regulation, economy, technology, environmental issues.
The workshop provided an overview of these analyses, enriched by a Dutch feedback on the application of the IMO BW convention. Damen Green, partner of the project, provides for tests its mobile, port based InvaSave technology, the first certified by IMO.
This certification process has grouped together technology providers, scientists and companies, certification agencies, and national authorities to elaborate the BW treatment process and quality control protocols for treated water and for marine water.
That experience is a valuable base for the partners, and associated partners, to analyse the use cases and to elaborate the implementation process in the partner countries (Portugal; Spain; Uk; Ireland and France).
Euroshore and its members, in particular Eco-oil, have worked to set out best solutions to deal with oil and other ships effluents. The feedback on these works, and their perception on new issues such as BW is another pillar for future works of the partners: what could be improved, especially on an economic and regulatory point of view.
Around these two groups, the port authorities and scientific organizations presented their own works, advances and results regarding in particular the protection of the environment. The EU, and particularly the DG Mare, has there been a federative agency, providing funds and support to develop years after years databases, charts and models of European sea waters. That’s another pillar of project, which intends to complete that work, focusing on port areas and new challenges: invasive species.