POWER4MED: Charting a cleaner course for Mediterranean shipping

The Mediterranean is one of the busiest seas in the world, carrying millions of passengers and tonnes of goods every year. But this economic lifeline comes with an environmental cost. Ships burn large amounts of fuel, releasing greenhouse gases and pollutants that threaten coastal communities and marine life. With the net-zero targets for 2050, the clock is ticking for the maritime sector to reduce its emissions.

This is where POWER4MED steps in. This EU-funded project focuses on the Western Mediterranean, helping small and medium-sized ship operators navigate the complex shift towards carbon-neutral fuels.

From fishing boats and ferries to marinas, POWER4MED provides practical tools and expert guidance to support a greener, more competitive maritime economy.

From ambition to action

Smaller vessels face particular challenges in adopting new technologies and POWER4MED is a crucial initiative to tackle the issue.

In almost two years of duration, the project has provided practical guidance and technological solutions in three phases:  

Phase 1 – Preparatory actions to gather essential information: 

• Conducting an analysis of operators’ needs and identifying available fuel alternatives;
• Assessing energy investment options, including short-term investments and adaptation costs for sustainable fuel bunkering;
• Exploring short and medium-term technological solutions to decarbonisation. 

Phase 2 – Studies and pilot applications to assess adaptation costs for greening local infrastructures and vessels: 

• Testing pilot studies on greening local infrastructures and adapting vessels to use sustainable fuel and energy sources;
• Conducting research on regulatory frameworks, focusing on fleet transition, particularly in southern regions of the EU;
• Investigating financial tools to support the maritime sector’s decarbonisation. 

Phase 3 – Development of tools to capitalise on experiences and best practices:  

• Developing sector and country-specific tools, such as transition plans, strategies, and capacity-building resources;
• Creating the POWER4MED Supporting Structure, which will continue to provide resources and guidance for operators after the project’s conclusion. 

POWER4MED Supporting Structure, an openly accessible digital knowledge centre 

The project developed 6 practical toolkits which offer hands-on solutions and are tailored for fishing boats, commercial vessels, ferries and marinas and sector specific training courses.   

This material is available on the ECA4Med Platform, the project’s Supporting Structure, which offers freely accessible solutions, best practices and replicable models for fisheries, ferries and marinas. 

A dedicated team of multi-disciplinary experts is also available for free consultation and technical support to interested parties who want to apply the POWER4MED tools and approaches at local level.  

EU support making the difference

POWER4MED is co-funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). EU funding has been decisive in bringing together partners from Italy, Spain, Malta, Algeria, Egypt, Turkey and Libya.

Coordinator Mario Dogliani, SDG4MED (Sustainable Development Goal for the Mediterranean), explains 

“There are several positive aspects we could enjoy in this project but one is unique to EMFAF: the significant presence of non-EU partners, and the focus on practical matters to be jointly tackled by EU and non-EU countries. In our case, the focus was on the readiness of small maritime operators to face the environmental challenge.”

The project aligns directly with EU policy priorities, from the European Green Deal’s climate neutrality target to the “Fit for 55” package, which aims to cut emissions by 55% by 2030. It contributes to the IMO’s ambitious decarbonisation strategy, proving that even smaller maritime actors can play a key role in global climate action.

It also supports the objectives of the Energy Transition Partnership for EU Fisheries and Aquaculture, set by the European Commission to speed up the sector’s shift towards cleaner energy.

POWER4MED works in cooperation with its sister projects from the same call for proposals GreenMED and Green Marine Med to steer innovation and accelerate the green transition in the Mediterranean. 

Building a lasting legacy

POWER4MED’s impact will outlive the project itself. The Supporting Structure and its toolkits will remain available to operators, policymakers and investors long after the end of the project. By capitalising on best practices from EU ports and shipping companies, Power4Med  ensures that lessons learned in the Western Mediterranean can inspire similar efforts across Europe and beyond.

Thanks to EU funding and strong regional cooperation, the Mediterranean is charting a cleaner, more sustainable course—one vessel, one harbour, and one community at a time.

More

Have a look at the project video and project web page.  Follow them on their social media channels: YouTube and LinkedIn.