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‘Shortsea’ proposed to be included in the future Sustainable Mobility Law

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Short sea shipping transport wants to be included in the future Sustainable Mobility Act, as it ensures that Ro-Pax traffic, a substantial part of the transport, and continues to help the viability of various services. Through this, the integration of maritime transport into logistics chains would be facilitated. This is one of the measures proposed by the Shortsea Promotion Centre Spain (SPC Spain) following the last meeting of the working group on the Sustainable Mobility Act on the 3rd of July 2020. The meeting was also attended by Manuel Carlier and Elena Seco of Anave, Patricio Arrarte and Amaia Sarasola from the Santander Port Authority, Ricardo García from the Escola Europea Intermodal Transport, Laura Fernández from Feteia and Mario Massarotti and Antonio Vargas from Grimaldi Lines. Representing SPC Spain were Pilar Tejo and Marta Poza.

The office of the Spanish Secretary General of Transport and Mobility announced that the draft of the rules for the Sustainable Mobility Act should be ready before the end of the year, and in the meantime contributions from different entities are welcome. Among these, SPC Spain insisted on measures to better manage and increase the capacity of railroads and inland waterways. Moreover, to reflect the impact that the price of transport has on the environment, the entity proposed that subsidies for fossil fuels should disappear. Another proposal was “to regulate access to EU ports for the most polluting ships and to require that those at berth use electricity ashore”.

To improve sustainability, SPC Spain urged the Spanish government to adopt measures for the gradual reduction of emissions generated by the consumption of fossil fuels from ships, boats, naval devices and physical platforms when they are moored or anchored in ports.

Boosting the Motorways of the Sea

The Spanish government will propose the creation and consolidation of sustainable logistics chains with origin or destination in ports through strategic initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in ports, as well as in maritime or land transport chains with origins or destinations in ports.

These initiatives will aim, among others, to improve energy efficiency and air quality in port facilities, the generation or procurement of renewable energy in ports, promoting rail transport to and from ports, promoting the development of the Motorways of the Sea, improving road access, and encouraging the use of alternative energy in maritime transport, with particular attention to the use of this type of energy on berthed ships, and in accordance with the provisions of the European Union legislation on state aid.

In its conclusions, the entities propose to promote greater use of the maritime mode, enhancing SSS and the Motorways of the Sea, while pointing to possible actions to reduce their environmental impact both at sea and on land (such as tax exemptions for marine fuels, extending European emissions trading to the maritime sector, using alternative fuels and using electricity from land on ships at in ports).

Proposals for the Sustainable Mobility Law

Within the scope of the Sustainable Mobility Law, the proposals include:

  • Establishing that SSS in general and the Motorways of the Sea and regular roll-on roll-off transport lines in particular contribute effectively to the sustainability of the transport of goods (as it is the one that generates the least external costs to society) and to the necessary modal shift, therefore deserving to be the subject of governmental support measures.
  • Establishing the Motorways of the Sea and regular roll-on roll-off transport as the ideal instrument for facilitating the use of the maritime mode to road operators
  • The high number of port calls per year and their impact on the competitiveness of services (and therefore on their capacity to attract flows) makes them worthy of special treatment in ports.
  • Reviewing and specifying the definition of the Motorways of the Sea, and the possibility of creating a national seal of Motorways of the Sea that entitles members to certain advantages.
  • Establishing economic incentive measures aimed at stimulating the use of alternative fuels on berthed ships.
  • Possible reduction or elimination of the T-3 freight tariff.
  • Reduction in the cost of port services.
  • Incentives for the joint operation of transport companies in order to minimize the limitations inherent in the small business size of many transport companies.
  • Incentives for maritime intermodal operations for groups of companies.
  • Greater time flexibility for road hauliers using the maritime mode.

Source: Naucher Global

Puertos del Estado and the Escola Europea work to advance training in the field of transport

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The Spanish Ports organisations – Puertos del Estado (PdE)– represented by its president Francisco Toledo – held a videoconference with representatives from the Escola Europea – led by Eduard Rodés – on the 15th of July 2020. This working meeting marked the starting point in the road towards the drafting of a general agreement between the two entities. The areas covered during the meeting include those maintained since 2004 for the promotion of short sea shipping. Puertos del Estado has promoted shortsea and railway courses, given partial scholarships for port authority staff and provided teachers since the Escola’s founding. Some of the teachers who have represented PdE in the Escola’s courses include Álvaro Rodriguez Dapena, Antonio Góngora and Jaime Luezas, who is also a member of the Escola’s Academic Committee on behalf of Puertos del Estado.

Alongside the main areas of activities of the Escola, other proposals in the field of education in the logistics-port communities and railway intermodality have also been analysed, some which are in the development phase and where there are points where collaboration could allow for important synergies.

Francisco Toledo undertook to work with his team on a more stable relationship framework with the Escola, based on ongoing projects and submitted proposals. The Escola and Puertos del Estado have been able to maintain a very good relationship of collaboration since 2004, before the Escola was founded in the shape and form that it is known today, following the first course that took place in 2004 with the Port of Barcelona. PdE has also been involved with the Shortsea Promotion Center of Spain in the development of the Escola since 2006 under the framework of the European Marco Polo Programme.

“It has been a lasting and fruitful relationship for both parties. We must now continue to add fuel to the fire to keep this collaboration alive, adapting it to the changes that are taking place” commented Rodés following the meeting. The director of the Escola also praised the president of the OPPE, outlining his profile as a connoisseur of the port business, a key point that facilitates his dialogue with and knowledge of the sector.

Changes made to the Escola’s Steering and Academic Committees

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Distance learning, digitalisation and courses that provide answers to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic will mark the evolution of the Escola Europea in the near future.

During the Steering Committee of the Escola Europea, held on the 22nd of April 2020, Catalina Grimalt for the Port of Barcelona and Mario Massaroti for the Grimaldi Group were added to the members of the Executive Committee. This was in accordance with the agreement adopted by the Governing Council presided over by the President of the Port of Barcelona, Mercè Conesa, and which also had the President of the Ports of Genoa, Paolo Emilio Signorini; the President of Ports of Rome, Antonio Maria di Majo; the CEO of GNV, Matteo Catani, and the members of the Executive Committee Eduard Rodés, Silvio Ferrando, Antonio Pedevila, Mario Massarotti, Catalina Grimalt, Pedro Arellano and Luca Lupi participated.

The Steering Committe also approved changes to the Academic Committee. Marta Miquel, representing the Escola Europea, and taking on the role of the secretary of the Committee; Lluis París for the Port of Barcelona; Leonardo Picozzi, representing the Ports of Genoa; Giovanni Marinucci for the Ports of Rome; and Agustí Martí for the Faculty of Nautics of Barcelona-UPC, were incorporated to the list of members.

As a result of the current global health crisis, new initiatives of the Escola Europea linked to the teaching of courses that combine an online part for theory and a physical part for practical workshops, as well as the development of new courses related to the safety and protection regulations that are going to be implemented as a consequence of COVID-19, have been approved.

The Committee was informed of the recent approval of two projects in the field of training and employment under the European Commission’s ENI-CBCMED programme. The YEP-MED project led by the Escola Europea with a budget of EUR 3 million and involving 7 countries from the Mediterranean basin; and the TECHLOG project led by the University of Cagliari with a budget of EUR 3,5 million. Both projects have a duration period of 30 months.

Some current issues were also discussed, such as the important work of the shipping companies in the repatriation of persons who were travelling at the time the state of emergency and lockdown were announced. President Conesa emphasized the importance of the collaboration of Grimaldi Lines and GNV, which has helped manage extremely complex situations.

The Council agreed to hold an emergency meeting at the end of June to better monitor developments in the overall situation.

YEP-MED project: a tool for improving employability in the port-logistics sector

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In 2020, ten partners from seven countries bordering the Mediterranean have joined with a common objective to train young people with skills adjusted to the current market in logistics-port communities operating in the new Blue Economy. The partners will focus on the regions involved in the project, with the aim of promoting social inclusion and fight against poverty.

These actions will be carried out within the framework of a new European project titled YEP-MED (Young Employment in Ports of the Mediterranean) co-financed by the European Neighbouring Instrument – Cross-Border Cooperation in the Mediterranean (ENI CBCMED) programme. The project, which will count on the amount of 3,000,000 euros of funds for its development, will work towards a better preparation of skills required by the port-logistics labour market – a sector with a high growth potential – through vocational training.

The project, led by the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport, aims to develop port-logistics training and vocational (TVET) resources adapted to sector needs to strengthen youth employability; increase and upgrade local employment opportunities through the creation of real dual-learning programmes with job placements, strengthening the role of SME’s operating in the port ecosystems for future employment creation; and setting up collaborative national and transnational partnerships between port-logistics associations, operators, SMEs, training centres and VET providers, whilst introducing a PPP co-management process.

The project counts on the participation of partners from Spain, Italy, France, Tunisia, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, including public administrations such as Port de Barcelona (Spain), Autorità Portuale Mar Tirreno Centro Settentrionale (Italy), Port de Marseille-Fos (France), Damieta Port Authority (Egypt), Office de la Marine Marchande et des Ports (Tunisia), Aqaba Development Corporation (Jordan) and Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Beirut (Lebanon), as well as training centres in each of the countries such as the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport and Fundación Valenciaport (Spain),  Arab Academy (Egypt) and Institut Méditerranéen de Formation aux Métiers Maritimes (Tunisia). As associated entities, MEDPorts Association and Consell Valencià de la Joventut will also join the project.

Throughout 30 months, the partners and associates of the project will implement tools to achieve the main objectives of this initiatives, in the short, medium and long terms.

For more information on the project or on the Escola Europea, you can write an email to: info@escolaeuropea.eu.

The first annual meeting of the Academic Committee of Formati al Porto takes place virtually

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On the 17th of April, the constitutive meeting of the Academic Committee for Formati al Porto took place, convened by the President of the project Prof. Andrea Campagna and the Director of Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport Eduard Rodés. The meeting was held virtually by videoconference.

Formati al Porto, strongly supported by the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea Central Authority (AdSP del Mar Tirreno Centro Settentrionale) and the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport – aims to make it easier for today’s students, and thus future professionals, to gain access to the knowledge of the professions in the logistics sector, with a particular focus on the maritime industry and intermodal transport.

The participants who joined the meeting from the safety of their homes were: Dr. Luca Lupi and Dr. Giovanni Marinucci representing the AdSP of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea Centre, the Councillor for Education Policy Claudia Pescatori for the City of Civitavecchia, Prof. Mauro Adamo for ITC “G. Baccelli“, Dr. Antonio Errigo for ALIS, Dr. Francesco Beltrano for Confitarma, Dr. Brandimarte for Assarmatori, Dr. Stefano Cenci for Unindustria and the project coordinator Marco Muci from the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport.

For the first time in the Escola’s history videoconferencing has succeeded in bringing together such a high number of entities from the Italian maritime cluster and the intermodal logistics sector. Among the topics covered were the presentation of the project itself and the results achieved so far, the proposal of new contents and the quality of the courses for 2021, the acquisition of new partners, and the possibilities of enriching the current training offer, through the inclusion of online courses.

The Academic Committee is committed to supporting the project, relying mainly on the human factor, i.e. the young students, and on the local territories themselves. The main objective is to create a well-prepared logistic community, able to face future challenges and to strategically place Civitavecchia at the forefront of the Mediterranean logistic activity.

The role of “Formati al Porto” is to bring students into direct contact with the community and port activities, to learn the characteristics of the professions related to the world of ports through direct exposure to the surroundings. In addition, the project aims to lessen the disconnect between between the qualifications required by companies and the skills offered by the educational system, thus promoting the creation of quality employment through the possibility of the school-work placements.

The training, as is the case with the Escola’s courses, is carried out by experts and professionals from the Italian and Spanish sectors, ensuring participants get high quality educational contents. The teaching team is composed of representatives of companies and institutions directly involved in the management of short sea shipping and sustainable logistics in Italy,

For more information, you can visit the project’s web page:

https://escolaeuropea.eu/formati/

Information regarding the COVID-19 outbreak and the Escola’s courses

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With the current uncertainty surrounding the global Covid-19 pandemic, transport authorities and both private and public entities have taken several measures to offset the health and economic consequences of the virus. With this in mind, the Escola’s courses and operations have been halted until the 30th of March (with the possibility of extending this date should the authorities deem it necessary). This has resulted in a number of our regularly scheduled courses to be postponed.

Though we know this may adversely affect some of you who have registered to or planned to attend one of the courses, please know that the decisions were made with the regard for everyone’s safety and in accordance with the official regulations set out by the Spanish government to contain the spread of COVID-19. Please contact us if you would like to know more about the new course dates, or stay tuned via our social media channels which are updated daily. The information on our website is always the most up to date, but our staff is still working and will reply to any enquiries arriving by email.

In the meantime, we wish for all of you to stay safe and healthy.

The Port de Barcelona and the Escola Europea reaffirm their commitment to Forma’t al Port

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The Port de Barcelona and the Escola Europea-Intermodal Transport reaffirm the Forma’t al Port programme

During the next three years, the Escola will continue to offer practical course-workshops to promote the use of port services, intermodal transport and the improvement of knowledge in the sector.

The Port de Barcelona and the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport have signed a new collaboration agreement for the Forma’t al Port programme, with the goal of organising and coordinating practical courses adapted to the needs of the students coming from local secondary schools and training centres to promote the use of port services, intermodal transport and the improvement of knowledge of the maritime and intermodal sectors.

The Catalan port authority, with the collaboration of the Escola, will be responsible to prepare the training materials related to the educational lectures which will be given as part of the courses. To help offer the training at a reduced price to the students, the Port of Barcelona will offer a contribution in study grants for the duration of this new three-year period of the project.

As part of the programme, an executive and academic committee will be created to ensure quality education and excellence in the programme management. Both the Port and the Escola Europea-Intermodal Transport will assign a representative to the committees to help coordinate and prepare the courses. The organisation and management of the courses and the committees linked to the programme will be carried out by the Escola.

The Escola Europea is a training centre dedicated to provide quality training and education to students and future professionals of the transport sector, with educational programmes tailored to port activities and intermodal transport – to help better understand the sector.

This collaboration, together with that of other public entities, associations and private companies, will help ensure the continuous training of the Barcelona logistics community in order to face the challenges of the future and strategically place Barcelona and Catalonia in the forefront of logistics activities in Europe and the world.

The Port of Barcelona’s commitment to education

With the signing of this agreement, the Port of Barcelona reaffirms its commitment to being a driving force in the country’s economic activity and a generator of employment. To this end, it works to establish partnerships between companies in the Port Community, training centres and administrations in order to improve training and employment; all key aspects to consolidate as a reference point in innovation and sustainability for the region.

The Escola Europea opens the registrations for the brand new course “Ports and Passengers”

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The course, with an eminently practical approach, will offer a 360º vision of the operations and commercialisation of cruise ships and ferries.

The Escola Europea has launched its new specialised training course on cruise and ferry operations and commercialisation. The need for such a course was born from the concern to seek formulas for professionals in the port and tourism sectors to obtain a practical vision of what happens in the port during passenger operations, and to analyse the trends and growth and thus ensure the best strategies and advice in the cruise sector, from the operational, commercial and, in particular in light of modern-day environmental concerns, environmental perspectives.

During this 3-day long training, the participants will be offered theoretical perspectives through lectures and debates, as well as given a practical viewpoint through practical visits and a case study which will make it possible to analyse different passenger profiles, the characteristics of the different cruise lines and local tourist offers.

The course, initially planned to take place between the 30th of March and the 1st of April, but which has been postponed tentatively following the state of emergency declared in Spain related to the Coronavirus pandemic, will be held in Barcelona in the autumn. Recognised professionals from the sector will share their knowledge during the training, which will be carried out thanks to the collaboration of the Port of Barcelona, Grimaldi Lines, MSC Cruises, Marmedsa Cruise Services, and Barcelona Crew, among others.

The current growth of the cruise line sector

International cruise tourism is the sector that has witnessed the greatest continuous growth in recent decades. Today, the globally positioned sector faces new challenges that need to accommodate the needs of modern-day customers and the environment. It is vital to combine strategies, optimise processes and develop new technologies to complement the gigantism that the sector has experienced in recent years with optimal logistics operations that will result in high passenger satisfaction and interconnected operational logistics to the neighbouring environment and its society.

To work towards such sustainable improvement, the course delves into how the cruise industry is addressing environmental challenges, sustainability actions and social responsibility. In addition, the professors will detail the current context of the cruise industry including: trends, statistics, new destinations and future objectives.

The course will tackle the training practically through visits to port facilities to witness land-based management and port transit operations first-hand, and by presenting a case study (to be worked on in groups) to understand the implementation of cruise marketing and services.

“Ports & Passengers” is one of the technical courses that represent the innovative training missions of the Escola Europea, focused on the continuous education of professionals of the sector.

For more information on the course, you can visit the course page on: https://escolaeuropea.eu/calendar/ports-and-passengers-2020/.

Circle of the Sustainable Development Goals - SDG

The Escola reaffirms its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals

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Days away from 2020, the Escola Europea reflects on the achievements made during the year. The Sustainable Development Goals have been set to solidify the urgent changes that society would need to make to tackle social inequality, climate change, poverty, and political turmoil, among others.

With this in light, the Escola’s work in 2019 can be summarised as follows:

  • In 2019, the Escola has organised a staggering 42 courses (nearing one course per week), and welcomed participants from Spain, Belgium, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Morocco, Algeria, Peru, Colombia and Mexico. There was an increase in the number of participants coming from the Magred, which could be explained with the success of the TransLogMED project and the growth of the North African trade networks. In total, 1,485 students passed through the Escola’s doors and took advantage of the unique course-workshops.
  • 2019 also saw the creation and fulfilment of new technical courses. Curricula and course programmes were prepared for the Temperature-Controlled Freight transport Course, detailed plan were made for the Port Operations Summer school (which now took the form of a 2 week course, separated by vessels and goods), and the Groupage and Consolidation Course was further extended. Successful courses were also carried out for the former two technical courses, with a Groupage course planned for the spring of 2020.
  • The Escola’s courses are constantly undergoing improvements and modifications. In 2019 the team created a Log Book to give to the students at the start of each course, which contains tasks, puzzles and activities that further enrich the participants’ experiences.
  • Formati al Porto was officially launched in Italy, demonstrating the huge success the programme has attained in Barcelona and its appeal to other termional communities.
  • The Escola has had it’s first paper published in a conference – the annual World of Shipping International Research Conference on Maritime Affairs. The paper, which can be found here, summarised the current state of experiential training methods in Europe, and provided a quantitative analysis of the approach applied to the Escola’s courses. Thank you to all of the Escola’s partners and alumni who have generously submitted their survey responses to help us carry out the study.

2020 shows all signs of being a very intensive one for the Escola Europea, with technical courses for professionals planned for the spring, the summer school, and the usual MOST courses in the autumn. In the past decade, the organisation has increased its influence in Europe and throughout the Mediterranean through the development of new and innovative courses for students and professionals, the signing of new agreements with influential universities and training centres, and the active participation in European projects, and 2019 has shown that it is continuing to do so, whilst applying the Global Development Goals to its activities.

Formati al Porto - reunion con Confimatra y Civitavecchia

The Municipality of Civitavecchia and Confitarma collaborate with the Escola Europea in “Formati al Porto”

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Last month the mayor of Civitavecchia, Ernesto Tedesco, together with the vice mayor Massimiliano Grasso, the president of Confitarma, Maurizio Mattioli, the general manager of Confimatra Luca Sisto, and the director of the Escola Europea Eduard Rodès have signed a cooperation agreement, guaranteeing the availability to finance training courses within the port area of Civitavecchia. The new project “Formati al Porto” supported by the AdSP of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the Centre-North and by the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport, aims to bring today’s students and future professionals closer to the knowledge of the professions of the logistics sector, with a particular focus on maritime activity and intermodal transport.

The project was borne out of a context in which the logistical positioning of the port of Civitavecchia, both in terms of territorial and socio-economic aspects, must take infrastructural measures, offer competitive services and, above all, invest in the human factor. For this, a well-prepared logistical community, capable of facing future challenges and strategically placing Civitavecchia at the forefront of the logistical activity of the Mediterranean, is needed.

The main objective of the initiative is to bring the community closer to port activities and to make it possible for the young to discover the characteristics of the professions related to port undertakings directly from the sources themselves. The students will have direct experience of infrastructure, facilities and operations. In addition, the project will lessen the disparity between the qualifications required by the companies and the skills curently offered by the education system.

The Municipality of Civitavecchia, thanks to its privileged position near the main logistic infrastructures of Lazio, including the port, the industrial area and the parks of the logistic activities, brings together many professionals and operators who work mainly in the port of Civitavecchia and who share the passion to spread the training in this professional specialty among the students of the educational centers that focus on port activity, tourism, transport, logistics and international trade.

Confitarma is the primary association within the Italian shipping industry, representing almost the entire merchant fleet of the country and bringing together shipping companies and shipping groups operating in freight and passenger transport, cruises and ancillary services traffic. In particular, it provides its members with information and offers assistance on development, the environment and energy, infrastructure and logistics, tourism, business culture, the labour market and training.

Following the great success of the first Formati al Porto course held last week at the AdSP of the Tyrrhenian Centre-North Sea, these new agreements will give many more students the opportunity to participate in the training courses organized by the Escola Europea.

The training is given by experts and professionals from the Italian and Spanish sectors, ensuring that the participants receive high quality educational content. The teaching team, yet to be confirmed, will be composed of representatives of companies and institutions directly involved in the management of short sea shipping in Italy.

You can find out more infromation about the Escola’s courses, both in Italy and in Spain, on the following website:

https://escolaeuropea.eu/training/