Naples to get sustainable port

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Sustainability has disembarked in the port of Naples. An agreement signed on 30 November will allow Caremar vessels to connect to the electricity grid while berthed in the port. This in turn will allow them to shut down their on-board generators, reducing atmospheric pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.  

The protocol was signed at the Naples Port Authority headquarters by Carlo Tamburi, Enel's Head of Country Italy, Pietro Spirito, Chairman of the Central Tyrrhenian Sea System Authority, and Francesco Ceci, CEO of Caremar, the shipping company that provides ferry services in the Bay of Naples.  

The agreement will initially apply to the ferries running between Naples and the islands in the Bay (Ischia, Capri and Procida). The connection infrastructure will be installed on the quayside at Calata Porta Massa and Caremar will make the necessary technical modifications to its vessels.  

“As ports are often located close to city centres, allowing ships to shut down their engines for the entire duration of their time in port means cutting atmospheric emissions and improving quality of life in the cities in question,” declared Tamburi, adding that a further benefit will be a reduction in noise pollution. The aim is for this pioneering initiative to set an example for other operators and port authorities to emulate.

In Naples, they are looking ahead to provide an even greener port too. The next stages will involve a transition to LED lighting and the installation of photovoltaic panels and electric vehicle charging points to create what Tamburi describes as “an integrated urban mobility system with no impact on the environment.” A system that may also one day achieve the same levels of sustainability as ports of the likes of Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver and Gothenburg.