BLUE PORTS: Empowering ports for a greener future

Ports are a vital part of the European economy and supply chains. Europe is home to more than 1,200 ports, which together support around 2.5 million jobs.

At the same time, maritime transport contributes around 4% of the European Union's total CO₂ emissions. Of this, about 7% occurs while ships are at berth in ports. Reducing these emissions is essential to achieving Europe's climate goals. However, many ports currently face a shortage of the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to drive this green transition.

The BLUE PORTS project, supported by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) , responds to this challenge by helping small and medium-sized ports reduce their environmental footprint while remaining competitive. It does so by providing targeted upskilling and reskilling opportunities for the people who work in and around ports.

The BLUE PORTS training and certification scheme

With partners from Greece, Spain, Italy and Georgia, the BLUE PORTS project brings together key actors from education and research, industry, public authorities and civil society. The project is developing a training and certification schemethat is recognised across countries (ISO/IEC 17024 compliant certification scheme). This has been designed for port authorities' staff and port operations service providers.

The training material is fully digitalised and available in 5 languages (English, Greek, Spanish, Italian and Georgian), with topics ranging from climate change to energy transition, alternative fuels, circular economy, environmental protection, digitalisation and automation. Certification exams, along with preparatory sessions, are organised after the training session for those who want to be certified.

The BLUE PORTS scheme creates new opportunities for workers in the blue economy by improving career prospects, mobility and professional development. It is also beneficial to the blue economy sector by providing specialised staff and optimised port operations.

Stavroula Tournaki, from the Technical University of Crete and BLUE PORTS coordinator, says:

"Ports can only become greener and smarter if the people working in them have the proper skills. With BLUE PORTS, we are building Europe's first recognised certification scheme for sustainable port operations, co-designed with the port ecosystem and aligned with real sector needs."

National Technical Committees as an integral part of the Blue Ports training and certification scheme

The training and certification scheme is designed in cooperation with the BLUE PORTS National Technical Committeeswhich have been established by the project in the four participating countries, as an integral part of the BLUE PORTS scheme.

Representatives from across the entire value chain of the port ecosystem (employers, employees, training providers, competent authorities, etc.), part of the National Technical Committees, provide valuable insights and play a crucial role in transferring industry knowledge and experience, identifying the sector's strategic priorities, as well as skills gaps and market needs.

This cooperation ensures the alignment of the training scheme with strategic industry priorities, while at the same time facilitates its adoption.

A pool of certified professionals and a roadmap for the BLUE PORTS scheme wider rollout

The project team aims at the certification of more than 150 port professionals and the engagement of 200 young talents through courses and career-oriented events. They estimate reaching more than 1,600 certified workers by 2030 thanks to the transferability of the training and certification scheme across Europe, and particularly in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions.

Policy contribution

The BLUE PORTS project aligns with the Sustainable Blue Economy Strategy , the Circular Economy Action Plan , the European Skills Agenda . It also contributes to the objectives of the European Ocean Pact and namely to boosting the competitiveness of the EU sustainable blue economy and the EU Ports Strategy .

If you want to stay updated and know more about the BLUE PORTS project and its training and certification scheme, join the BLUE PORTS network, follow them on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, X) and visit the project website.

Distretto Ligure delle Tecnologie Marine Scrl (DLTM), Italy

Fundacion de la Comunidad Valenciana para la investigacion, Promocion y Estudios Comerciales de Valenciaport (FV), Spain

Heraklion Port Authority (HPA SA), Greece

Maritime Transport Agency (MTA), Georgia

TUV Hellas SA (TNH), Greece