Ten Ports in the Running for European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) Award 2023: Rewarding Nature Restoration in Ports

13th July 2023

Last year's ESPO Award winner, the Port of Barcelona Authority Credit: ESPO secretariat

Ten ports have submitted their projects to the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) secretariat which is to host their 15th edition of the ESPO Award later this year.

Under the theme “Nature restoration projects in ports benefiting the local community”, the ESPO Award 2023 will go to the port managing body which has developed innovative ways to develop these new roles and combine port development with successfully protecting and restoring nature in and around the port area to the benefit of the citizens and local community.

The winning project will be a project which can clearly demonstrate how nature protection and restoration efforts can be successfully combined with port development projects.

ESPO members could send their applications until Friday 7 July.

The following 10 applications will be competing for the ESPO Award 2023: North Sea Port (Belgium- Netherlands), Guadeloupe Port Caraïbes (France), Port Network Authority of the Northern Central Tyrrhenian Sea - Port of Civitavecchia (Italy), Klaipėda State Seaport Authority (Lithuania), Port of Gdynia Authority (Poland), Port Authority of Cartagena (Spain), Port Authority of Ceuta (Spain), Port Authority of Sevilla (Spain), Port Authority of Vigo (Spain), and Shoreham Port (United Kingdom) (- listed in alphabetical order by country).

To promote the efforts made by different European ports to enhance the city-port relations through innovative projects, ESPO decided in 2009 to give out an annual ESPO Award on Societal Integration of Ports. After the two first editions, it was decided to focus each year on one different aspect of societal integration.

The ESPO award winning port is selected by an independent jury of international experts, under the Chairmanship of Dimitrios Theologitis, former Head of Unit of Ports and Inland Navigation in DG MOVE at the European Commission.

The winner will be announced at the ESPO Award Ceremony and Dinner taking place on 7 November at the Museum of Arts and History in Brussels. The ESPO award painting 2023 will be the first of a new series of paintings, made exclusively for ESPO by the Dutch port painter Sasja Hagens.

This year, the ESPO award ceremony will also mark the celebration of the 30th anniversary of ESPO.

Published in Ports & Shipping

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Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals.

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