The Port of Montreal joins the ambitious international PIONEERS partnership

The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) took another major step in its commitment to establish the first green North Atlantic maritime corridor on January 13 by joining the PIONEERS (PORTable Innovation Open Network for Efficiency and Emissions Reduction Solutions), led by the Port of Antwerp. The move builds on the alliance renewed by the Port of Montreal and the Port of Antwerp last fall to work towards the industry’s decarbonization through the corridor and their respective expertise and partnerships.

A €25-million (US$28.3-million) grant from the European Horizon 2020 program is being provided to the international PIONEERS consortium to present concrete solutions for reducing greenhouse gases in ports while preserving their competitiveness.

The consortium brings together 46 partners from around the world representing major ports, terminal and transport operators, freight forwarders, universities, technology developers, innovators and public authorities.

Aiming to rethink all aspects of port operations for the sustainable development of the industry, PIONEERS will deploy a range of 19 demonstrator projects in the areas of clean energy generation and supply, sustainable port design, modal shift and flow optimization, as well as digital transformation.

The project launched in late 2021 will cover a five-year timeline.