Federica Navas on the TNM experience in Matosinhos (Jan 2020)

Vox pop video by Federica Navas (Salerno ULG coordinator) on the TNM experience in Matosinhos in January 2020

Federica Navas of the Promotion Office of the Port System Authority of the Central Tyrrhenian Sea. It is with great enthusiasm that the Port System Authority accepted the invitation of the Municipality of Salerno to be part of the BluAct project, in particular the BluAct local group, a local coordination group, together with many other important partners, both institutional and private, because it believes in the great opportunities offered by the Blue Economy and therefore also in the excellent potential of the BluAct project, a definitely dynamic, innovative project, which is proceeding in the right direction and which has all the prerequisites for reaching the set objectives, until full implementation of the transfer process of the Piraeus model.

The project has, among the many winning formulas, the organization of the so-called Transnational Meetings which are very important appointments, because they take place in the various cities belonging to the network, and are fundamental moments of exchange and collaboration for sharing and growth of the project that is continuously in progress, in evolution. In the last Transnational Meeting, held in Matosinhos at the end of January, each partner was able to illustrate the path taken so far, the activities carried out and the results achieved.

It was an opportunity to bring a testimony, also the role played by the port of Salerno in the area's economy, and to highlight the importance of the synergistic effort by stakeholders, especially institutional, in support of the Blue Economy. 

It also emerged that each partner, through implementation in the various phases of the project, is strongly contributing to guaranteeing and enduring innovative forms of entrepreneurship and development of the territory, promoting their concrete realization by strengthening incubation and governance processes.

The three days in Matosinhos were intense and of fruitful work, but they were also an excellent opportunity for meetings and contacts. In fact, on the last day there was a visit by a delegation of project partners to the Port Authority of Leixões in which I also participated with great enthusiasm. The Port Authority administers, manages, the ports of Douro, Leixões and also of Viana do Castelo. The port has a very interesting peculiarity because it develops towards the interior of the territory on the banks and right on the mouth of the Douro river, in fact most of its terminals are located right there.

Another special feature is the multifunctionality of its terminals. The interesting infrastructure development projects were illustrated and we had the opportunity to visit the modern structure of the maritime station, a very welcoming, but also multifunctional structure. The operating room inside the offices of the port authority is very particular and efficient, where mainly monitoring of port traffic is carried out, especially for safety purposes, and where also the tides are monitored and analysed.

So, to conclude, the BluAct project is really a very interesting, transferable project, which gives the opportunity to create development, innovation and employment, above all because it offers many opportunities for the younger generations and creates important territorial synergies in favour of the Blue Economy, in fact, it is led by trained and dynamic operators, both at European and local level. So, what to say? Full speed ahead and always in full sail!