World Maritime Day on 26 September 2024 celebrates the critical role of maritime trade in the global economy.
An astounding 80% of global trade in goods is carried out by sea. Ports are integral nodes within the world’s trade network, supporting traditional maritime industries such as cargo and ship building, along with marine industries such as fisheries, defence, tourism and natural resource management.
These industries are part of the traditional ocean economy which, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, is predicted to double in size to $3 trillion by 2030 just by doing “business as usual”.
Ports play a critical part in supporting the sustainable expansion of this ocean economy through many roles including landlord, operator, regulator and environmental steward. By playing these roles within a public-private partnership model, ports can help to drive sustainable development of the ocean economy.
In recent years, the role of the ocean economy has been redefined by placing sustainable development at its core – epitomized by the term “the blue economy”. According to the World Bank, the blue economy is the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems.
Typically located close to both urban centres and dynamic coastal settings, ports are often at the forefront of environmental challenges, dealing firsthand with threats from climate change and ageing infrastructure. This gives them a clearer insight into these challenges, as well as the resources at hand to help solve these issues. While ocean solutions exist, further advancement in blue technology and innovation are crucial.
Ports can serve as environmental champions by using innovative technologies and collaborations with business partners and communities to protect and enhance coastal ecosystems in a way that is mutually beneficial to the economy, environment and communities. This will help to support new and emerging activities such as developing resilient coastal infrastructure, aquaculture and marine technology.
Blue economy incubators must select projects that help meet the real-world challenges of ports. ECOncrete, for example, has developed an innovative concrete technology for nature-inclusive marine infrastructure. When used to construct marine structures, it provides a habitat for a diversity of marine life, enabling the protection of coastlines while also supporting biological diversity.
The company came from Israel to San Diego in 2020 to test its eco-engineered coastal armour unit, which is designed to interlock and create tide pool habitats. The units were installed in place of existing rip-rap, or rocks without any habitat value. This was the first installation of this tidepool technology in the world.
Marine species began to colonize these tidepools in just two months. The final report for this project details the dozens of species that have since made this prime real estate their home, providing both ecosystem and coastal infrastructure benefits – a win-win for the environment and for the port.