The workshop was organised with the support of the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Shipping and the Cyprus Chamber of Shipping, in the framework of the project "Cruise ships against plastic pollution in the Mediterranean" which is implemented by a team of Cypriot researchers, with Dr. Xenia I. Loizidou as scientific leader.
The workshop, according to a press release, organized by a team of Cypriot scientists and with the participation of representatives of the Cypriot shipping industry, sent the message that shipping, which is a "heavy" industry in Cyprus, cannot be absent from the collective effort for the green transition.
Realising the importance of the problem and the opportunity to promote a more circular model in Cypriot and Mediterranean shipping, a group of Cypriot researchers organised the above mentioned workshop which brought together 24 representatives from public bodies, executives from the shipping sector, NGOs and research centres.
As stated by the Deputy Minister of Shipping, Vassilis Demetriades, who took part in the participatory process, "Blue growth is Cyprus' perspective and green shipping is a one-way street. Blue growth, the circular economy, proper waste management are areas that need the cooperation of all stakeholders for their implementation. Through a structured participatory process, gaps and problems that exist were identified and solutions were co-decided that will contribute to addressing the problem.
Regarding the Policy Tool, it is noted that 14 gaps and needs faced by the shipping sector in relation to the optimal management of solid waste were identified and prioritized.
The five most important needs of the sector, according to the participants, are the need for more modernised port infrastructure, the need to develop an environmental culture at all levels of the shipping sector, the introduction of proven technologies and innovative alternative materials to help reduce the footprint of shipping, the promotion of accountability and responsibility, and the creation of more synergies within the value chain and supply chain of the shipping sector, both onshore and offshore.
As noted, for each of these five needs, participants identified solutions that they evaluated based on two criteria: applicability and effectiveness. The research team then grouped the solutions into four pillars - Infrastructure, Policy Implementation, Research and Innovation, and Environmental Awareness - on the basis of which a "roadmap" for a more circular Cyprus shipping industry was created.
Dr. Xenia I. Loizidou, a coastal engineer and expert in participatory decision-making, who coordinated the workshop and the analysis of the results, said that solutions were proposed that take into account both the existing and the future institutional framework of our island and stressed that "such workshops should be an integral part of the creation of national and transnational policies as they incorporate the views of all stakeholders and propose widely accepted solutions, reducing the possibility of 'shipwreck' in their implementation".
The Cypriot-invented project has received the prestigious BeMed 2020 award, from the BeMed Foundation (BeyondPlasticMediterranean), supported by the Prince Albert Foundation of Monaco, which annually rewards the best proposals for action aimed at reducing plastic pollution in the Mediterranean. The project aims to minimise marine plastic pollution and thus its impact on public health, the marine environment and coastal tourism, with targeted actions in cruise tourism and shipping, the announcement concludes.
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