Sedat Baştuğ
Maritime Transportation and Management Engineering, Bandirma Onyedi Eylül University
On the final day of the PACT COST Action conference in Le Havre (see also the report on day one and two), the participants left the meeting rooms of the Port Center and set foot into the living laboratory of port-city interaction: the actual port. A guided tour of the Port of Le Havre offered a chance to experience how history, infrastructure, and environmental concerns intersect in the ongoing energy transition. The excursion was not only about observing container terminals and wind turbine factories but also about discussing how ports can balance industrial growth with ecological and social responsibilities.
Witnessing the Port in Transformation
As noted in the official day three conference report prepared by Justyna Breś, the tour, led by Fabrice Danet of the Port Center Le Havre, highlighted how the port of Le Havre has continuously reinvented itself. Once home to a coal-fired power plant (closed in 2021), the port is now preparing to host Siemens Gamesa’s offshore wind turbine terminal, designed to accommodate 110-meter blades. Danet also pointed out the so-called bird island. This artificial island was created in 2005 as part of the Port 2000 project to serve as a bird sanctuary. Today it is colonized by seabirds, reminding us that industrial interventions can produce unexpected ecological niches (see also Counter-Map by Bastug 2025).
The port's spatial organization is striking: 25% container terminals, 25% water surfaces, 25% land reserved for future expansion, and 25% natural or protected areas. This balance mirrors the dual identity of Le Havre as a logistics hub and an environmental stakeholder.
Despite handling fewer containers than global giants like Rotterdam or Shanghai, Le Havre processes 3 million TEU annually and plays a pivotal role in France’s maritime economy. Yet the port city’s ambitions do not only focus on activities happening in the port itself: city authorities are acquiring adjacent housing for future port expansion, while simultaneously investing in sustainable transport. Increasing barge traffic, still a small share compared to trucking, was presented as a strategic priority to reduce emissions while maintaining Le Havre as a strategic player in the shipping industry.
Creative Reuse and Community Dialogue
The visit also showcased smaller, innovative projects that embody how ports engage with local communities. Decommissioned containers have been repurposed into fire protection walls near fuel facilities, while repainting protective barriers in white and green reflected neighborhood requests for a more aesthetically pleasing infrastructure. These details sparked conversations about how ports can humanize their industrial landscapes, fostering a sense of coexistence with surrounding residents.
The bus tour through Le Havre’s city center further emphasized the port-city link: Saint Joseph Church, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the modernist landmark Le Volcan reminded participants that industrial transformation is always embedded within cultural and social geographies.
Setting the Course for Research Collaboration
After the field trip, attention shifted back to concrete PACT-related work. PACT members gathered to chart the next steps of the 4-year networking project. The meeting and presentations revolved around how to frame the outcomes of various Working Groups (WGs) into coherent outputs. Discussions reflected both pragmatic and theoretical concerns:
- Should WG3’s work on theoretical frameworks result in an open-access book or a series of journal issues?
- How can WG1 better visualize interrelations between all WGs to clarify shared goals?
- What indicators should WG2 establish to measure energy transition effectively?
- How can WG5 start its stakeholder analysis without a shared glossary of terms from WG3?
These debates underscored the complexity of coordinating interdisciplinary work, but also the value of collective reflection. As one participant emphasized, the goal is not to provide definitive solutions, but to link fields of knowledge, stimulate dialogue, and recognize that energy transition is an ongoing, unfinished process.
To ensure clarity and progress, the PACT members divided into sub-teams, focusing on:
- Developing indicators of energy transition,
- Producing theoretical contributions in transdisciplinary constellations,
- Launching a new scientific journal, and
- Enhancing communication and visibility through digital platforms.
This collaborative division of tasks should help maintain the momentum of the conference while anchoring it in long-term academic and societal impact.
Conclusion
The third day of the PACT conference and workshop illustrated how ports like Le Havre embody both opportunities and contradictions of the energy transition. On the one hand, they are sites of global logistics, expansion, and industrial innovation. On the other, they are ecological habitats, cultural landscapes, and contested urban spaces. The field trip revealed that the future of ports cannot be reduced to technical solutions alone; it requires sensitive negotiation between economic efficiency, social acceptance, and environmental stewardship.
The afternoon discussions translated these observations into tangible goals, reminding us that understanding rather than prematurely solving the complexity of port cities is a key step in fostering inclusive energy transitions.
Acknowledgments
This blog post has been written in the context of discussions in the LDE PortCityFutures research community. It reflects the evolving thoughts of the authors and expresses the discussions between researchers on the socio-economic, spatial and cultural questions surrounding port city relationships. This blog was edited by the PortCityFutures editorial team: Eliane Schmid.
Special thanks also to the rapporteurs of the PACT COST Action, Conference and Workshop, Le Havre: Justyna Breś and Sevim Sezi Karayazi. Their contributions greatly informed this work.
About COST Action
www.cost.eu
COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. Our Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This boosts their research, career and innovation.
This blog is based upon work from COST Action CA23138 – Port City Territories in Action: A Collaborative Laboratory for Inclusive Energy Transition (PACT), supported by COST.
