Rosa María Darbra

Environmental management and monitoring are essential for translating sustainability goals into operational practices in port systems. However, empirical evidence on how these processes are implemented in African ports remains limited, partly because comparable environmental management data are rarely available across ports. This exploratory study examines reported sustainability priorities, EMS-related organisational practices, and environmental monitoring arrangements in African ports using a structured practitioner-based self-diagnosis survey. Data were collected from 18 environmental managers, each representing one port, during a dedicated professional workshop. The analysis combines importance scoring of predefined sustainability items, binary self-reported information on EMS-related practices, and qualitative coding of open-ended responses on monitoring indicators, responsible entities, methodologies, and implementation challenges. The results should not be interpreted as statistically representative of African ports as a whole. Rather, they provide preliminary, practitioner-based evidence on recurring patterns and constraints reported by the participating ports. The findings suggest that core EMS-related elements, such as objectives, legal compliance, operational control, and monitoring, are more frequently reported than strategic and resource-intensive practices, including climate change integration, sustainability planning, and green services to shipping. Monitoring practices appear largely compliance-oriented, periodic, and dependent on external actors, reflecting reported constraints related to finance, technical expertise, equipment, and institutional coordination. The study contributes exploratory evidence from an under-researched regional context and develops tentative propositions for future research on environmental management capacity, monitoring integration, and sustainability transitions in African port systems.

The rapid growth in vessel size associated with global maritime trade is placing increasing pressure on port infrastructure worldwide. In Brazil, many existing ports face structural limitations due to insufficient navigational depth and limited opportunities for spatial expansion, often constrained by urban encroachment. In this context, identifying suitable coastal locations for deep-draft port development has become a key strategic challenge for long-term planning. This study develops a GIS-based spatial suitability model to identify segments of the Brazilian coastline with favourable conditions for deep-draft port infrastructure capable of accommodating large vessels, including post-Panamax ships. The approach considers physical constraints, environmental restrictions and basic logistical connectivity within a multi-criteria spatial framework implemented through map algebra. The model is conceived as a strategic screening tool to support early-stage decision-making rather than a detailed feasibility assessment. The results identify nine coastal locations with the highest suitability scores, indicating that highly favourable conditions for deep-draft port development are spatially limited. Notably, one of these candidate locations partially overlaps with an existing port-related cluster, suggesting consistency between the model outputs and real-world port development patterns. In contrast, large portions of the southeastern coastline (particularly in São Paulo and Paraná) exhibit lower suitability due to a combination of urban pressure, environmental constraints and limited depth conditions. Overall, the findings reveal a spatial mismatch between Brazil’s main economic core and the coastal areas with more favourable natural conditions for new port infrastructure. The proposed framework contributes a transparent and transferable spatial decision-support tool that can assist policymakers in identifying priority areas for future port development and in balancing investments between the expansion of existing ports and the development of new locations.

The Brazilian port sector faces an urgent need for modernization to meet the demands of the contemporary global economy. A significant challenge lies in the shallow depth of access channels, which hinders the navigation of larger ships with deeper drafts, and the fact that many ports are constrained by the proximity of large cities, limiting their expansion. This study aims to identify Brazilian ports with the potential to accommodate post-Panamax ships, a critical component of modern maritime trade. Using a multi-criteria evaluation system, five key criteria were selected: water depth, land capacity for expansion, dredging requirements, water accessibility, and transport infrastructure. These criteria were systematically applied to 210 Brazilian port facilities, analyzed through QGIS 3.38.3 software using satellite imagery and literature sources. To prioritize the most suitable ports, Pareto analysis and quartile analysis were employed, resulting in the identification of 58 port facilities as prime candidates for expansion. This research provides a data-driven framework to guide the modernization of Brazilian ports, positioning them to better serve the growing demands of the global maritime industry.

Mega ports, defined in this study as those handling over 5 million TEUs annually, are major hubs within the dynamic framework of global trade, influencing both economic and environmental landscapes. This study identifies climate change as the foremost environmental concern for these ports, necessitating urgent and strategic responses. Through comprehensive research, this paper explores the main Climate Change Mitigation (CCM) strategies and evaluates their implementation across mega ports worldwide. Findings indicate widespread adoption of certain strategies, such as setting greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets and providing on-shore power supply (OPS), while also identifying challenges, particularly in implementing environmentally differentiated port fees. Additionally, this paper outlines key strategies for climate change adaptation (CCA) in ports. The results of this research offer insights into sustainable practices and collaborative efforts to confront climate change challenges effectively. These findings have the potential to significantly improve maritime policy and ship management strategies.

This paper aims to create a new model for assessing the ecosystem risk in rivers and wetlands that are linked to accidental spills of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in soil/groundwater. Due to the uncertainty of the modeling inputs, a combination of two well-known risk assessment methodologies (Monte Carlo and fuzzy logic) were used. To test the new model, two hypothetical, accidental AgNP soil spill case studies were evaluated; both of which were located at the end of the Llobregat River basin within the metropolitan area of Barcelona (NE Spain). In both cases, the soil spill reached groundwater. In the first case, it was discharged into a river, and in the second case, it recharged a wetland. Concerning the results, in the first case study, a medium-risk assessment was achieved for most cases (83%), with just 10% of them falling below the future legal threshold concentration value. In the second case study, a high-risk assessment was obtained for most cases (84%), and none of the cases complied with the threshold value. A sensitivity analysis was conducted for the concentration and risk. The developed tool was proven capable of assessing risk in aquatic ecosystems when dealing with uncertain and variable data, which is an improvement compared to other risk assessment methodologies.

One of the main environmental problems in ports is Climate Change and its consequences. Since 1979, many international organizations have been working to control Climate Change. A literature review and a practical research were carried out to set up the basis to create a tool. These studies showed in recent years many ports have started to calculate their Carbon Footprint. However, there is no unified method in ports to do so. In addition, based on the results of the practical research, the development of a practicable tool for the calculation of Carbon Footprint in ports was highly demanded. Therefore, a new standardized tool was developed and validated by 20 experts. This tool was tested with the existing results of the Port of Oslo and Ports de la Generalitat. The results obtained were in line. Finally, a case study model was created to test all the functionalities of the tool. The calculated emission values were compared with those obtained with the OCCC tool and MITECO tool. The outcomes were very similar with minor changes due to different emission factors. The results of this test process prove that the new tool is suitable to be used by ports around the world.

The rapid development of nanotechnology has stimulated the use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in various fields that leads to their presence in different ecosystem compartments, in particular aquatic ecosystems. Several studies have shown that a variety of living organisms are affected by AgNPs. Therefore, a methodology to assess the risk of AgNPs for aquatic ecosystems was developed. The methodology is based on fuzzy logic, a proven method for dealing with variables with an associated uncertainty, as is the case with many variables related to AgNPs. After a careful literature search, a selection of relevant variables was carried out and the fuzzy model was designed. From inputs such as AgNPs’ size, shape, and coating, it is possible to determine their level of toxicity which, together with their level of concentration, are sufficient to create a risk assessment. Two case studies to assess this methodology are presented, one involving continuous effluent from a wastewater treatment plant and the second involving an accidental spill. The results showed that the accidental spills have a higher risk than WWTP release, with the combination of Plates–BPEI being the most toxic one. This approach can be adapted to different situations and types of nanoparticles, making it highly useful for both stakeholders and decision makers.

An approach for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated wastewater that is gaining increasing attention is the application of hydroxyapatite (HAP)-based particles. HAP is conventionally synthesized through wet chemical precipitation of calcium and phosphate ions, although later studies have focused on HAP synthesis from solid calcite contacted with a phosphate solution under ambient conditions. This synthesis route can allow saving soluble Ca-chemicals and, thus, make the process more cost-efficient. The aim of this study was to coat natural calcite powder with a layer of HAP for the removal of Zn and Cu from contaminated water. For this purpose, a HAP layer was synthesized on calcite particles, characterized using several complementary techniques and evaluated for the removal of Zn and Cu from synthetic solutions. Sorption kinetics and equilibrium isotherms, as well as the effect of sonication of the synthesized sample on its sorption performance, were determined. The results showed that calcite particles were efficiently coated with a HAP layer with high capacity in removing Zn and Cu from acidic solutions, with a q_max of 34.97 mg/g for Zn (increased to 37.88 g/mg after sonication of the sample) and 60.24 mg/g for Cu (which hardly varied with sonication). The mechanisms behind the sorption of Zn and Cu onto HAP, inferred from pH changes, the relation between metal uptake and Ca²⁺ release and XRD analysis, included surface complexation, ion exchange and precipitation of new Zn- and Cu-containing phases.