The closing International Workshop “Cities and Ports: Challenges towards a sustainable environment” was held in Tripoli, Lebanon, last September 9th 2015. The event is one of the activities of the “Managing the Environmental Sustainability of Ports for a Durable Development” (MESP) EU funded project.

The workshop  was held in the conference hall of the Order of Engineers under the auspices of the Lebanese Director General of  Land & Maritime Transport.

The EU funded  MESP project  addresses the reduction of water, air and noise pollution deriving from port activities through the implementation of a multidisciplinary approach, which encompasses technological, regulatory and administrative solutions. The reinforcement of cooperation between port authorities, scientific organizations and public administrations fostered the diffusion and transfer of sustainable management model of port areas in the Mediterranean region. 

The program started  by the Lebanese Anthem followed by opening speeches by the President of order of engineers, the MESP coordinator, the President of MUT, the President of board of Directors of the OEPT, the President of the Al Fayhaa Union of Municiaplities-Mayor of Tripoli, the General Director of Land and Maritime Transport and finally, the representative of the Italian Embassy in Beirut.

The opening session was followed by an intervention of  Dr. Corrado Schenone, from the University of Genoa and coordinator of the MESP project, where he gave the audience a brief of  the MESP project as a tool for Managing the Environmental Sustainability of Ports for a durable development.

Two round tables and an ending session followed. The first round table dealt with the MESP results and Pilot Projects where each of the partner ports was given the floor to present its case and the realized activities within the project. The second round table dealt with the challenges facing the ports and cities after MESP, the role of universities in issues related to ports and the contingency plan of the port of Tripoli. Two members of the Scientific Advisory committee SAC moderated the plenary discussion of this round table.

The ending session dealt with the availble tools to achieve environmental sustainability in ports where were presented the roles of the Al Fayhaa Environmental and Development Observatory (TEDO) and the Health, Safety and Environmental department at the Port of Tripoli.

The workshop was  an opportunity for  local administrations, ports and public and private actors involved and interested in Ports operations to meet and share the project outcomes and the implemented processes to mitigate the environmental impact of Ports in the three sectors of Water, Air and Noise.

For more information about the MESP project…