Green Shipping

A WestMED supported Technical Group

Implementing innovative projects to support a greener and fully sustainable maritime transport in the Mediterranean

Strategic role across the Mediterranean

The western Mediterranean plays a strategic role with respect to short- and long-haul shipping routes, as it connects African and European countries, while it also provides an essential link between Atlantic routes and Asian destinations, via the eastern Mediterranean and including through the Black Sea.

An effective support to green shipping should acknowledge the relevance of transforming, renewing and adapting regional vessels and their transitioning towards the use of fully sustainable sources of fuel/energy, but should also address the potentials of transforming green ports into “circular hubs” for sustainable energy production and consumption – both challenges but also opportunities.

Importance of monitoring and financial support

Given the fast development of new technologies and sources to be used for green shipping, a careful monitoring of new developments (green fuel such as methanol, ammoniac, hydrogen and alternative technologies, including electrification), would allow for the continuous monitoring of most advanced practices (technological, infrastructural, managerial, etc.).

The achievement of such vision would require significant amount of financial investments and contributions, which in turn calls for addressing the current fragmentation of public financing streams (national, EU, regional and international), as well as the full visibility for the return potentials for private sustainable investments in regional green shipping.

Key Objectives

Assessing the emerging technologies and innovative models
An analysis of trends in energy consumption, the opportunities for strategic development of the infrastructure to boost renewable energy sources for green shipping across the region, is essential to ground future actions.

To set a proper basis for further regional action, such analysis focuses on the western Mediterranean region as a whole, not just as a sum of individual country assessment.
Networking of Maritime Ports as Energy Communities
This action provides an opportunity for green ports in the western Mediterranean to experiment with the recent concepts of ‘energy community’ as put forward by the EU Green Deal. Ports can in fact play a pivotal role in the world’s decarbonisation challenge and provide a blueprint for industries and governments to transition to a cleaner energy future.
Boosting adaptation of commercial vessels
This action calls for the transformation, adaptation and uptake of innovative and sustainable devices for commercial vessels.

It aims at testing the potentials for adaptation of commercial vessels (including smaller ones, local ferries and service vessels) in accelerating their transition to sustainable energy – from LNG towards a wider choice of alternative fuels and technologies, including hydrogen, electrification, etc.

Contact the National Hub Italy for information on Green Shipping

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