Sustainability brings a new era to the port of Heraklion
Heraklion port is a medium-sized port of international interest belonging to the TEN-T network and the third largest port in Greece. It is in the middle of the island of Crete and consists of the main entry gate for goods and passengers for the island. It is a multifunctional port, with all major port activities being present, i.e. ferry sector, cruise sector, cargo sector, yachting and a small shipyard.
Furthermore, Heraklion Port is one of the largest cruise ports in Greece, operating as transit and as homeport. Heraklion as a destination offers cruise guests unique and unforgettable cultural, historical, and gastronomic experiences. Heraklion Port Authority is putting emphasis to this sector, because of which, leading cruise companies have included the destination of Heraklion in their itineraries, with the impact of cruise activities to be characterized as positive, contributing to the economic development of the local, regional, and national economy.
The vision of the administration of the port is to transform Heraklion Port to a green and smart port. The mission is no emissions on the process of decarbonization and the target is to become the first Greek port that will apply OPS system to all ships berthing at our port well before 1 January 2030 when we will be obliged to. In this direction, the project called “Electriport” completed with full design studies and planning for the application of a cold ironing system to our port.
Another important project called “Hupiness”, about wave energy and the production of electricity by installing wave generators on the armouring of windward breakwaters. This system will produce a power of approximately 1 Megawatt (MW) and the energy produced will be used for the needs of the OPS system, to integrate Heraklion Port’s green transition activities.
The importance of both projects is very high for the port and the city as they will contribute not only to reducing CO2 emissions but also to reducing the total air and noise pollution thus offering better living conditions to all citizens around.
The major initiative in the area of digitalisation is a proposal for a development of a Digital Twins model for the port. This model, through the application of new technologies, will offer us the opportunity to have an image of the port and its basic infrastructure (i.e. piers, breakwater etc) as well as data and information relevant to the port, its facilities and its operations.
The purpose of this “Digital Twins” model is to develop a useful tool for the management of the port’s resources and infrastructure to provide a clear image of their condition at any moment and to be able to identify any potential source of problems.
