Barcolana Sea Summit ends with a day dedicated to green ports and debate Cei-youth

While the Villaggio and the Regattas were put on hold, at the Porto Vecchio, at the Trieste Convention Center, the Barcolana Sea Summit’s first edition came to a close. It was quite a day, starting with a morning that was dedicated entirely to the development of Italian ports in eco-friendly terms, the debate on which was guided by the speeches of the Government’s representatives. Following the video-speech of the Minister of Infrastructures and of Sustainable Mobility, Enrico Giovannini, the next to be on the podium of the Sea Summit was the State Secretary for Ecological Transition, Vannia Gava, followed by Laura D’Aprile, Head of Department for Ecological Transition and Green Investments. Among these presentations, there was also the video-message of Gabriele Galateri di Genola, Chairman of Assicurazioni Generali.
Discussing the “Innovare i porti per innovare le città” subject, were the Chairmen of the Port Authorities of north-east and north-west Italy: Zeno D’Agostino, Chairman of the Authority of the Harbour System of the eastern Adriatic Sea, and Paolo Emilio Signorini, Chairman of the Authority of the Harbour System of the western Ligurian Sea. With them on stage, in a panel moderated by Omar Monastier, Director of “Il Piccolo” and the “Messaggero Veneto”, with Roberto Onofrio, Central Editor-in-chief of “Il Secolo XIX”, there were also Alessio Lilli, general Manager Gruppo TAL; Roberto Gasparetto, Managing Director AcegasApsAmga – Gruppo Hera; Maurizio Maresca, Chairman Alpe Adria SpA and, representing the Coast Guard, Rear Admiral Vincenzio Vitale, FVG Maritime Director and Commander of the Port of Trieste.

The second panel of the day, still on the subject of ports, focused its attention on the energy transition route and on the decarbonisation of activities, with the testimony of Lars Hoffmann, Vice President and Head of DFDS Business Unit Mediterranean, Patrick Baan, System Integration & Performance Director Wärtsilä, and other representatives of the world of innovative technology in the ports sector.

In the afternoon, on the other hand, the Barcolana Sea Summit put the youngsters at the centre of the debates, with an open dialogue between Ministers and Undersecretaries of the Adriatic and Balkan Countries of the INCE and some hundred boys and girls of the second-grade secondary schools of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

In the simultaneous and parallel session, the subject discussed was on the cycle of carbon and fibreglass in the nautical world, on the new solutions and new regulations necessary in order to make the supply chain of this sector truly circular. Guest of honour was Marcello Persico, Chairman Persico Marine and Vice chairman Persico Group; along with Marcello Guaiana, Area Science Park Technologist; Barbara Amerio, CEO & Sustainability Director Gruppo Permare; Roberto Neglia, Institutional Relations Area Manager of Confindustria Nautica-Ucina; and the Chairman of the SVBG, Mitja Gialuz, who seized the opportunity to draw up a first assessment of the event: “The Barcolana Sea Summit has been a success beyond our expectations. Despite the complications due to the weather conditions, the attendance both online and in person, with many schools linked-up, turned out really well and the contents brought by the speakers were of the highest quality. I wish to personally thank all the institutions, partners, the University, ISPRA, OGS for their extraordinary in-depth work of these past few days”.