The economy linked to water and the sea is gaining ground worldwide, and especially in maritime cities like Barcelona. In this context, port officials and experts in innovation, sustainability, and blue economy from around the world will meet in the Catalan capital between November 5 and 7. They will do so at the sixth edition of the Smart Ports: Piers of the Future event, which will bring together for the first time the global network of cities to combat climate change C40 Cities.
With the impetus of the Port of Barcelona, Smart Ports will focus on defining strategies for the blue economy, sustainability, and the opportunities offered by the marine ecosystem. The event will do so with representatives from member ports of the initiative such as Antwerp-Bruges, Busan, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Los Angeles, and Rotterdam. In addition, it will feature Shanghai, Ningbo, Seattle, Quebec, and the American Long Beach as invited ports.
The experts will meet in an edition under the name Creating ports that inspire, and will focus on the ports of the future, as well as the port-city relationship, sustainability, and innovation. In addition, Smart Ports will this year feature sessions on the incorporation of disruptive technologies and startups into the port sector; openness to citizens; the promotion of the blue economy and sustainability, and the change in the port business model in an unpredictable context.
To delve into these issues, Smart Ports will be held this year with a novelty: it will collaborate with the global network of cities to combat climate change C40 Cities. In this regard, the C40 Green Ports Forum will be held from November 6 to 8 to promote the exchange of knowledge and sustainable solutions among participating ports.
Smart Ports will be part of the Tomorrow.Blue Economy congress for the second consecutive year, framed within the Smart City Expo World Congress. Organized by Fira de Barcelona, it has the collaboration of the Port of Barcelona; the City Council, through Barcelona Activa, and the World Ocean Council (WOC), an international business organization in the field of sustainable maritime economy. According to its managing director, Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, WOC's collaboration with the city, its port, and Fira "are examples of the cooperation and partnership that led to our headquarters in Barcelona," where it was established in 2022.
Complementing the objectives of Smart Ports, Tomorrow.Blue Economy studies how to sustainably and responsibly harness the countless resources offered by the marine ecosystem. The director of the event and of the Smart City Expo World Congress, Ugo Valenti, has argued that it represents "an essential piece to complete the reflection on the obligatory green transition of cities and to focus on the management of our coasts, seas, and oceans."
The union of both congresses contributes to positioning Barcelona internationally and consolidating its leadership in the blue economy. Indeed, "the combination of talent, organizations, and infrastructure makes the Port of Barcelona a unique platform for promoting the blue economy, sustainability, and maritime innovation," its president, Lluís Salvadó, has stated.
Thus, Barcelona "maintains its commitment to the blue economy as a driving factor for a more competitive, more sustainable, and more innovative Barcelona," assured Lorenzo di Pietro, general director of Barcelona Activa. Di Pietro, who recalled the planned investment of 142 million euros to promote cutting-edge spaces in the city in this area, which currently generates more than 3.6 million jobs in Europe, and 30 million worldwide.