NEWS: CIRASIM KICK-OFF CONFERENCE

The kick-off conference of the CIRASIM project was successfully held on October 29–30, 2024, at the University of Zadar.

This international event marked the official launch of a promising initiative aimed at supporting the transition of regional ports towards sustainable and environmentally responsible operations.
CIRASIM project – Cold IRoning ASsessment Implementation Model addresses one of the key environmental challenges in maritime transport: reducing CO₂ emissions from ships while berthed at ports.
Cold ironing – supplying shoreside electrical power to docked ships while their engines are off—is increasingly recognized as an essential step toward achieving carbon-neutral port operations. The EU’s Directive 2014/94/EU requires member states to develop such alternative energy infrastructure by 2025.
The main objective of CIRASIM is to develop a simulation model and an online tool to assess the feasibility and optimize the implementation of cold ironing systems in regional ports. The project involves an in-depth analysis of five partner ports – located in Croatia, Italy, Albania, Greece, and Serbia – each characterized by specific operational and infrastructural conditions that affect their readiness for cold ironing.
Factors such as the types of vessels (bulk carriers, cruise ships, container vessels, etc.) and the ports’ electricity infrastructure and spatial capacities are central to the analysis. By identifying both individual and common challenges, the project aims to support the design of realistic, green-energy-based solutions adapted to each port.
Led by the University of Zadar, CIRASIM brings together 8 partners from 6 countries, including academic institutions, port authorities, and environmental organizations. The consortium is also supported by an associated partner from the maritime transport sector.

The kick-off conference was led by Professor Dino Županović from the University of Zadar and brought together representatives of all seven project partners and one associated partner. During the two-day event, participants discussed key project goals, exchanged knowledge and experiences, and outlined initial steps toward analyzing the current operational capacities, potentials, and limitations of partner ports. This marked a strong start to the collaborative effort toward developing sustainable port infrastructure across the region.

The project is co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg IPA ADRION Programme.