SIMPYC Project

The zones separating cities and their ports have become the cause for a large number of varied conflicts: urban, environmental, social, etc.

The most relevant environmental-related problems include:

• noise pollution derived from certain port activities, such as heavy goods traffic, the use of heavy machinery, etc.

• air pollution produced by the emission of contaminating gasses and particles resulting from certain industrial activities, or during the bulk transportation of certain solid goods, etc.

• the environmental impact associated to a port and resulting from the presence of large cranes, goods storage areas, the physical barrier separating the port from its city, etc.

The presence of large industrial-commercial ports in many European cities increases the relevance of such environmental problems, which require the application of suitable solutions.

The project represents a significant contribution to the self-regulation of Ports and Cities and their internal improvement.

Objectives include the search for solutions to certain problems derived from port/city relationships, in order to establish a more environmentally-friendly and functional model of relationship, as well as to improve the coordination of Port and Council activities. Additionally, action is to be taken regarding the relationships between small commercial, fishing and/or leisure ports and their cities. An environmental management system (EMS) is to be developed for such port installations, in accordance with Agenda 21. Denia and Villajoyosa have been chosen as pilot ports.

The environmental benefits derived from the project are to be obtained from the resolution of the three main environmental problems encountered in port-city relationships: noise pollution, air pollution and environmental impact.

A good port-city relationship provides benefits both for a city’s inhabitants and for the rest of the interested parties (business people pertaining to associated sectors, business people from other sectors, port workers, etc.), as well as generating positive images of the port and the city themselves. Such images, which may be projected on national and international levels, are without doubt capable of generating numerous benefits for those regions that take the effort to improve their port-city relationships.

The setting up of projects such as SIMPYC will require the recognition by Port Authorities and Governmental Bodies of their roles as control organisations in relation to the activities carried out in ports and the areas in which they converge with cities, together with their commitment to guaranteeing “sustained development” within the areas under their responsibility.

In order to effect a suitable monitoring process, it is necessary to control atmospheric and acoustic contamination. Such control, which is to be made possible via this project, will also provide the different participating Authorities with a preventative tool to be employed in relation to possible Environmental Risks (principally noise pollution), thus obtaining clear environmental benefits for the surrounding population.

The project also aims to provide solutions for the scarce degree of environmental management existent in small commercial, fishing and/or leisure ports located in small municipalities. The majority of such small ports lack environmental management systems. In those cases in which such systems exist, they are usually independent of the environmental management carried out throughout the rest of the municipality. In this sense, the project aims to establish a standard for the implantation of Environmental Management Systems for these types of small-scale port installations. Such a standard is both to be based on the EMAS Regulation and to consider the principals contained in Agenda 21, in such a manner as to facilitate the integration of the environmental management of small ports into the larger scale environmental management systems employed by the corresponding municipalities. The ports of Denia and Villajoyosa are to be employed as pilots.

The implantation of Environmental Management Systems in small commercial, fishing and/or leisure ports will contribute to a notable improvement in their processes through the environmentally-friendly adaptation of their installations and the improvement of their surroundings. Furthermore, the development of Environmental Management Systems in accordance with the principals contained in Agenda 21 will enable the integration of each port’s environmental management processes into those of the corresponding municipality, thus leading to notable improvements in port-city relationships. The implantation of such an Environmental Management System will represent a considerable attraction for users of these types of port installations.

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