Between the 10th and 11th centuries, the Port of Genoa was one of the most critical places in the Mediterranean Sea.
Italy had become in the spotlight for the commercial relationship between Venice and Genoa during the economic recovery through which the trade routes developed along the Mediterranean coasts. Genoa dominated in the East at the end of the 13th century when the most vital part of trade flows was passing through the Black Sea, then acquired some positions at that time in the Iberian peninsula and on the Atlantic routes.
Looking at the present day, Genoa continues to be at the forefront: the Start 4.0 Competence Center, a public-private partnership led by the National Research Council, inaugurated in February last year, includes the most crucial players of the Genoese, Ligurian, and national economic entrepreneurial fabric in the creation of the “Maritime Infrastructures and Digital Technologies Hub” (Amave, Ad mare versus). Amave is the new European infrastructure in Genoa, and it will provide support to businesses and promote technology transfer in strategic digital sectors, with specific reference to the Blue Economy. It is a sort of European Center of Competence that brings together the leading Ligurian institutions in the field of innovation, intending to promote technology transfer from research to business, regarding strategic digital technologies for the digital economy of today and tomorrow: artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and cybersecurity. Amave will also encourage digitization in the sectors of the shipbuilding supply chain,  movement of goods and passengers by sea, environmental protection, tourism, recreational services, and the fishing industry.

Ansaldo Energia’s GT36 gas turbine produced entirely at the Genoa plant (with destination Marghera) is another example demonstrating that the Sea has become an engine for the recovery of economics. This innovation is the combination of the sector of the economy of the sea with health, developing innovative solutions in the field of naval telemedicine. It will power Edison’s new combined-cycle power plant and will be the most efficient thermoelectric plant in Europe, with a total electrical power of 780 MW and energy efficiency of 63%, enabling specific CO2 emissions to be cut by 40% compared with the average of the current Italian thermoelectric fleet and nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions to be reduced by more than 70%. The plant will become operational in 2022.

Additionally, Genoa can regain its old glory through “project sharing” with the three European giants of the North Sea: Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg, which have become the champions of sustainability and will reach new heights in green technologies also thanks to the “Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy” launched by the EU on December 9.

Soltanli Badriyya

(Source: Fondazione Leonardo)

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