MedCruise attended the 9th “ Our Ocean ” Conference held on April 16, 2024, in Athens, which celebrated excellence in maritime sustainability through the “ Blue Ports and Destinations ” Awards ceremony , in which four exemplary ports were honored.
Organized by BlueMissionMed in collaboration with MedCruise and with the support of the European Commission, the main objective of the Awards was to recognize, promote and support best practices within the ports and shipping industry, highlighting the contributions of ports to the EU Mission “Restore our oceans and waters by 2030”.
MedCruise's role also included collaborating with other associations such as Cruise Europe and CLIA in outreach efforts, with the aim of increasing the participation of ports and destinations in the Awards and extending their reach beyond the Mediterranean region.
At the ceremony, which recognized outstanding achievements in different categories among numerous participants from various regions of the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, the 4 winners were announced, 3 of which were MedCruise member ports:
- Port of Ravenna (Italy), for its visionary strategies that drive the city's ecological transition in the category of Social, Corporate, Community and Port Connectivity Sustainability;
- The Port of Heraklion (Greece) and Galataport Istanbul (Turkey) were jointly awarded for their unwavering dedication and innovative initiatives that promote sustainable practices within the maritime sector in the category of Eco-Conscious Entrepreneur and Personality.
In the category of Sustainability Solutions in Building, Design, Construction or Techniques:
- The Port of Antwerp-Bruges (Belgium) was recognized for its ongoing commitment to sustainability in all operational elements.
Figen Ayan, President of MedCruise, acted as Chairman of the “Blue Ports & Destinations” Awards, giving another example of MedCruise’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and the advancement of a thriving blue cruise industry.
Ayan added: “The Blue Ports and Destination Award has been an excellent platform and milestone to highlight the great sustainable and environmental efforts of ports, but also of the sector, to meet the 2030 targets at EU level. We must continue along this path with our concrete actions and our strong sense of collaboration.”
The Conference included the parallel event Mission Ocean, organized by the European Commission, the Environmental Defense Fund and the BlueMissionMed project, entitled “Concrete solutions for our greatest challenges: Mission Restore our Oceans and Waters by 2030”.
The innovative initiatives and actions within the framework of the EU Mission: 'Restore our oceans and waters by 2030' were highlighted, which address some of the biggest challenges facing marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity.
The growing partnerships between different foundations and the philanthropic community were also showcased. This event highlighted the importance of further developing coordination between public and private funding to facilitate island restoration worldwide.
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