The ESPO award convened the shortlisted projects and the Jury in Brussels (Belgium) on November 6th to choose the winner. This edition’s theme was “Port projects or strategies in the field of circular economy that benefit the city and/or the surrounding community”. The finalists were the Port of Antwerp-Bruges (Belgium), Port of Gothenburg (Sweden), Port of Huelva (Spain) and Port of Sevilla (Spain). The AIVP, represented by Caya Hein, Project Leader – Green Transition & Agenda 2030 by AIVP, partook as a member of the Jury. The other jury members were Eamonn Oreilly (Chairman of the jury), Knut Fleckenstein, Elvira Haezendonck, Marta Moretti, Victor Schoenmakers, David Whitehead, and Annaleena Makila.
The winning project was that of an AIVP member, the port of Sevilla. The project is focused on the multiple forms of reuse of sediments from dragging along the river bed. The sediments are used to create bricks with seeds in them to strengthen the riverbanks while also helping the agricultural sector by planting rice; creating tiles for the new port city district in Sevilla, which can also help in heat reduction; creating wetlands for birds along the national park bordering the estuary; and to re-sand touristic beaches along the coast. Dragging the river is necessary to ensure that boats of all sizes can access the port of Sevilla. The Port of Sevilla has collaborated with research institutes to ensure that the question of dragging is studied in depth.
