Ivan Jimenez, President of the Bilbao Port Authority, has called for deeper transatlantic cooperation on green shipping, open innovation and industrial decarbonisation.
He was speaking at a city-port forum in Québec City, Canada, held during the Atlantic Arc Commission General Assembly of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR).
Addressing port authorities, Atlantic regional bodies and international organisations, Jimenez drew on Bilbao’s widely recognised urban and industrial transformation as a basis for discussing the next generation of challenges facing port cities, chiefly decarbonisation, competitiveness and resilience.
He said: “The case of Bilbao has shown that processes of major transformation can only be taken forward successfully when there is a shared long-term vision and effective collaboration between institutions, business and local communities.”
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Jimenez outlined active projects at the Port of Bilbao spanning dock electrification, renewable energy, alternative fuels, renewable hydrogen, e-fuels, circular economy and green steel.
He added: “The major challenge is no longer simply about reducing emissions. The real challenge is coordinating multiple stakeholders to move forward together towards a sustainable transition that combines competitiveness, resilience and environmental sustainability.”
The port president also pointed to new opportunities for collaboration between Québec and Bilbao across green shipping corridors, experimental innovation labs and Atlantic innovation ecosystems.
He concluded: “The next phase of transatlantic cooperation involves innovating together. Ports can become strategic platforms for connecting industry, energy, knowledge and innovation on both sides of the Atlantic.”
For more information:
Port of Bilbao – https://www.bilbaoport.eus/en/
