Displaying items by tag: ESPO Award 2022

22nd September 2022

Ports Shortlisted in Final Competition for Winning the ESPO Award 2022

The projects of the ports of Ceuta, Barcelona, Tallinn and the cooperation project of the ports of Ancona, Ravenna, Venice, Trieste, Rijeka, Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik have been shortlisted for the 14th ESPO Award on Social Integration of Ports.

The jury selected these four applications from a total of seven submissions on the theme of this year’s edition: “Role of maritime passenger transport in enhancing the city connectivity and bringing added value to the local community”.

The ESPO Award 2022 will go to the port managing body which has developed a series of initiatives and/or a strategy in collaboration with the different stakeholders and the city to enhance the maritime passenger links and the connectivity within the city or with other cities and regions of Europe, be it for its own citizens or for allowing visitors from all over the world to visit and discover the city and bring added value to the local community.

The role of the port in enhancing the connectivity through a smooth and friendly passage through the port in and out of the city, as well as efforts of the port to give visitors a first good impression of the city or region are important criteria. Environmental and social sustainability of the project or strategy will be a prerequisite for winning the ESPO Award 2022.

“Maritime passenger transport enables ports to link people and cultures across regions and countries but it is also a real challenge to ports. Ports are already expert in dealing with goods in an efficient, cost-effective and secure way. Passenger transport brings different requirements such as protection from the elements, comfort, aesthetics, integration of the seafront in the fabric of the city and also the need to avoid disruption when large numbers of passengers have to be transported from and to the port.

"This year's seven submissions underline efforts to address these issues in innovative ways. From new construction and relocation, to information and integration, architects, engineers and local authorities spare no effort to make this means of transport more attractive. Irrespective of whether they have been shortlisted or not, all projects have their merits and the jury wishes great success to all of them.", comments Dimitrios Theologitis, Chairman of the ESPO Award Jury.

The winner of the 14th ESPO Award will be announced during the traditional ESPO Award Ceremony and Dinner taking place on 8 November in Brussels. The shortlisted projects will be presented on the ESPO website in the coming weeks and all seven submissions will be presented in a special brochure to be published on 8 November.

About the ESPO Award: The ESPO Award was established in 2009 to promote innovative projects of port authorities that improve social integration of ports, especially with the city or wider community in which they are located. In this way, the Award aims to stimulate the sustainable development of European ports and their cities.

Previous winners of the Award are:The Port of Gijón (2009), the Port of Helsinki (2010), the Ports of Stockholm (2011), the Port of Genoa (2012), the Port of Antwerp (2013), the Port of Koper (2014), Port of Dublin (2015), BremenPorts (2016), Guadeloupe Ports Caraïbes (2017), Port of Rotterdam (2018), Port of Dover (2019), Algeciras Port Authority (2020) and Port of Gdańsk Authority (2021).

Published in Ports & Shipping

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Forty Foot Swimming Spot on Dublin Bay

The 'Forty Foot' is a rocky outcrop located at the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for 300 years or more. It is popular because it is one of few spots between Dublin city and Greystones in County Wicklow that allows for swimming at all stages of the tide, subject to the sea state.

Forty Foot History

Traditionally, the bathing spot was exclusively a men's bathing spot and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.

Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to everyone and it is in the control of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Many people believe that swimming in extremely cold water is healthy and good for the immune system.

Is it safe to swim at the Forty Foot?

The Forty-Foot is a great place to swim because there is always enough water to get a dip but like all sea swimming, there are always hazards you need to be aware of. For example, a lot of people like to dive into to the pool at the Forty-foot but there are submerged rocks that can be hazardous especially at low water. The Council have erected signs to warn people of the underwater dangers. Other hazards include slippy granite cut stone steps that can often be covered with seaweed and of course marine wildlife including jellyfish that make their presence felt in the summer months as do an inquisitive nearby Sandycove seal colony.