The EU-CONEXUS ENABLES Hackathon was recently hosted by Frederick University at the Limassol campus, offering undergraduate and postgraduate students an exciting opportunity to turn ideas into practical solutions for greener ports.

"It’s been a long time since I felt this inspired", said one of the participating students. "Having the chance to let my imagination run wild and work on real ideas with other professionals meant a lot to me."

This reflection captures the spirit of the hackathon: bringing people together to develop innovative ideas for the decarbonization of Port Operations.

Students from the University’s Department of Maritime Transport & Commerce and Department of Mechanical Engineering, together with members of the Sustainable Energy Research Group, collaborated on the challenge to develop smart energy and digital twin solutions on sustainable ports. 

The workshop was led by Prof. Paris Fokaides, Prof. Michael Komodromos and Dr Angelos Menelaou.

The event welcomed guest speaker Captain Phil Murphy, Offshore Wind Project Manager at South East Technological University (SETU), who delivered presentations on Clean Marinas, sharing insights from Kilmore Quay Blue Flag Marina and the Duncannon Beach EIP, as well as Ireland’s vision for offshore renewable energy.

Through collaboration, creativity and interdisciplinary thinking, the ENABLES Hackathon encouraged students to explore how smart technologies and sustainable energy solutions can help shape the ports of the future. 

The Student Hackathon was followed by a focused training session on coastal environmental management and port decarbonization. Speakers included Prof. Fokaides, Capt. Murphy and Dr Menelaou, as well as Thanasis Hadzilacos and Andreas Constantinides, faculty members at Frederick University. 

The two-day event concluded with a stakeholder engagement meeting that welcomed participants from Port Industry and Public Authorities as well as PhD students. The event focused on Sustainable Energy and Port Decarbonization, drawing on international experience and examining the case of Limassol.