• Fundación Valenciaport will lead the creation of the BLUE PORTS network in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea
• The initiative has a budget of more than 1 million euros co-financed by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund programme of the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and Environment

Valencia, 11th January 2024. – Last December took place in Crete, Greece, the kick-off meeting of the BLUE PORTS initiative, whose ultimate goal is to promote the transition to greener ports through the training of professionals in the port logistics sector.

The BLUE PORTS project, led by the Technical University of Crete, and in which Fundación Valenciaport participates, has a budget of more than 1 million euros, co-financed by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) programme of the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and Environment (CINEA).

The Blue Ports Project aims to enhance the qualification of port staff in the field of the blue economy, establishing more training and certification programmes and closing the gap between existing services and the targets set in the European Green Pact.

In this sense, BLUE PORTS will support the development of blue skills of the sector’s personnel, providing a competitive advantage to those who work day to day in port management, offering an orientation programme, as well as fundamental tools, in areas such as the reduction of emissions, integrated waste management, the implementation of renewable energies and the promotion of sustainability.

To this end, a comprehensive and innovative training programme will be developed, as well as a digital certification system, and a BLUE PORTS network composed of governmental organisations, civil societies and educational, environmental and port associations.

Fundación Valenciaport’s role will be to design the competency framework and common training methodology, providing a clear vision of the sector’s needs and perspectives. In addition, it will lead the creation of networks in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, and will support the training tasks and the development and implementation of training material.

BLUE PORTS Consortium

In addition to Fundación Valenciaport and the Technical University of Crete, the project has involved the following partners: Distretto Ligure delle Tecnologie Marine (DLTM), the Port Authority of Heraklion, the Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia (MTA) and TÜV Hellas (TNH).

Other partners in the initiative include the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy (Greece) and the Institut Méditerranéen de Formation aux Métiers Maritimes (Tunisia).