Engineering Design

Engineering design within ports based on green ports principles is a growing topic and includes many examples of innovation. The topic is broad and covers port infrastructure, such as future proofing port infrastructure though modular and flexible design, optimizing terminal layout and cargo flow design and including durable and lo maintenance marine infrastructure.

In addition, nature based solutions with port engineering design are becoming better understood. In ports, NBS include actions such as restoring wetlands or mangroves, optimizing port and channel layouts that leverage natural flows, and enhancing ecosystems to improve coastal resilience, climate mitigation and port efficiency but also for delivery of multiple benefits and environmental outcomes (World Bank, 2025).

The beneficial re-use of dredged material also becoming more commonly regulated and is also an area with a growing number of innovations. The reuse of sediment in ports aims to reduce or even dismiss the need for offshore disposal and promotes circularity. This can not only decrease GHG emissions and minimize environmental impact but also has the potential to decrease operational costs.

Practices of Engineering covered here include:

• Design Nature-Based Solutions for Ports - Working with natural processes and Coastal Conservation;
• Beneficial re-use of dredged material;
• Future proofing port infrastructure though modular and flexible design;
• Optimized terminal layout and cargo flow design; and
• Durable, low maintenance marine infrastructure.

Utilizing dredged sediment within or near the port area can help minimize disposal distances, reducing dredging vessel travel times and the associated emissions. This approach can also create environmental and recreational opportunities, such as habitat creation, contributing positively to both the port and its surrounding environment and community, as well as amplifying its business case. Further dredged material can be reused for building materials, such as within reclamations, or to create features that in return further protect the port, such as barrier islands, sediment breakwaters (dunes, beaches) or intertidal wetlands.

Many innovations in engineering design, including those touched on above, contribute directly to reduction in resources, a better use of otherwise waste products, environmental creation and enhancement, energy use reduction and, in the case of more durable materials, reduced need to maintenance.

Engineering design, through its variety of established and emerging practices can contribute to a number of sustainability goals. Nature-based solutions for ports and beneficial re-use of dredged material practices help contribute to sustainability goals concerning climate action (reducing emissions and increasing climate resilience), and life above and below water (by restoring and protecting marine habitats such as mangroves, seagrass and reefs. Practices concerning modular and flexible design, terminal layout and cargo flow design and durable, low maintenance marine infrastructure help contribute to sustainability and responsible consumption of materials. Future proofing port infrastructure though modular and flexible design assists manage uncertainty, enhances resilience, and maximize long-term value, as well as reducing resource use. The approaches lower resource consumption, emissions, and cost while supporting responsible production.

Barriers to innovations in engineering design typically revolve around a lack of standards, guidelines and examples of benefits. For example, throughout a comprehensive investigation of the beneficial uses of dredged material, Solanki et al. (2023) identified three main challenges/limitations in using and managing dredged material were identified in this study, as follow:

1. Users/customers have a low willingness to introduce new materials partially or fully made of dredged material to their current operations due to their inadequate awareness of dredged material itself and its beneficial uses.
2. It is challenging to put dredged material products into the market due to a lack of consistent policy documenting the safety of dredged material.
3. The cost to transport dredged material for beneficial use was also noticed as the greatest practical barrier to beneficial uses.

For NbS, barriers include the availability of technical knowledge and policy directives, which is limited for most ports, as is their financial capacity. These limitations make the technical and financial risks of considering NBS in port construction and maintenance appear too high, blocking the development of a viable NBS business case.

PIANC (2014a) identifies several barriers to implementing durable, low-maintenance marine infrastructure. These include high upfront capital costs and investment decisions focused on lowest initial price rather than whole-of-life performance. Uncertainty about long-term durability of innovative materials, limited performance data, and conservative design standards reduce confidence.