Limassol municipality and Frederick University’s Department of Maritime Transport and Commerce will host the fifth Blue Limassol Forum on Thursday, May 15 at the Cruise Terminal (POD 5 – Departures) of the new Limassol Port, with DP World Limassol as the venue host. 

EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, will deliver the keynote address, opening the dialogue on coastal sustainability and citizen participation in shaping the city’s future. 

Held annually, the Forum brings together experts from academia, the shipping industry, and local authorities to examine the Blue Economy and Coastal Sustainability. 

This year’s theme, ‘Ongoing Limassol Coastal Transformation: How can we establish an inclusive approach?’ explores how coastal cities can balance urban growth with environmental protection, while also ensuring that citizens are actively involved in the decision-making process. 

Limassol mayor Yiannis Armeftis and Frederick University Rector, George Demosthenous, will open the event. 

Meanwhile, Captain Eugen-Henning Adami, Chairman of the Cyprus Foundation of the Sea (CyFoS), will moderate the Forum and panel discussions. 

The programme features four expert presentations and two panel discussions. 

Radu Vacareanu, Chair of the Governing Board of EU-CONEXUS, will present on ‘Inclusive Coastal Planning for a Sustainable Future’. 

In addition, Carola Hein of the Technical University of Delft will speak on ‘Green Mobility: integrating land and sea and connecting people to Blue Activities’. 

Vittorio Torbianelli, Special Commissioner at the Port Network Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea, will address the energy transition challenges facing port cities. 

Moreover, Frederick University’s Andreas Constantinides and Dan Feldman of the University of Haifa will present a joint research project on the use of drones and a digital platform to monitor marine pollution and assess risks, developed under the EMMERA cross-border initiative with the University of Piraeus and the Cyprus Ports Authority. 

The panel will also include Prabhat Kumar Jha, group managing director and CEO of MSC Shipmanagement Ltd, Cyprus; Alexandros Josephides, general director of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber (CSC); Maria Boile from the University of Piraeus; and Associate Angelos Menelaou, Head of the Department of Maritime Transport and Commerce. 

Mayor Armeftis will deliver the Forum’s closing remarks. 

Two additional events will run in parallel at the same venue: the roundtable discussion, which will bring together industry leaders, academics, and policymakers to discuss inclusivity in coastal development, and a Research and Innovation (R&I) and Career Fair Exhibition organised by CyFoS, showcasing projects driving a carbon-neutral and sustainable blue economy. 

Besides, a city-wide survey is also underway to capture public views on Limassol’s transformation and gather ideas for collaborative solutions. 

Citizens are encouraged to take part by completing the questionnaire, available in both English and Greek. 

All Forum sessions will be held in English, with simultaneous interpretation into Greek. 

Click here for registrations.  

More details at https://www.frederick.ac.cy/en/ or tel. 25730975.