Meet Sarah, Green Ports Consultant

Shape your career path

“When I joined the Maritime team as a graduate, I got to work on a variety projects. I didn’t just work on the design of maritime structures but also port master planning projects, inspection and asset management work, and project management for a range of smaller projects. Through this varied experience, I realised the projects I enjoyed most were the ones where I was able to influence the bigger picture, rather than focus on a small part of a larger design. So, after taking a sabbatical, in which I went to study Spanish in South America for a while, I got the chance to join the Smart and Green Ports team. This allowed me to transition from the traditional engineering side of the job towards consultancy projects.”

“The projects I’m working on now are all about helping our port or terminal clients to progress in terms of sustainability, making their facilities more efficient or making them more resilient to things like the impacts of climate change. Green ports involve quite a broad range of topics and that keeps things interesting.”

Bringing stakeholders together

“I’ve done several projects related to the energy transition, but with a particular focus on the link between ports and the shipping industry. For example, establishing green shipping corridors has become a key issue for the maritime sector since COP26 because the Clydebank Declaration was formed. Those projects require many stakeholders to come together and develop a solution that will work for all the parties involved in the supply chain. This is exactly what I like about the green ports projects: they’re not solely about the technical challenge, but also about bringing stakeholders together, understanding their different viewpoints, and trying to work out practical solutions that work from different perspectives.”

An international work field

“What I like about working in the maritime sector, in general, is that we get to work with people from all around the world, and you see many different ports. This makes every project different, for example, because of cultural differences, different cargoes they are handling, different port management models and different geographical challenges.

“Another, more holistic green ports project I worked on was a project for the World Bank, where we looked at how ports in the Caribbean were progressing in terms of their blueport status. So, how resilient are they to the impacts of climate change? What are they doing to decarbonise their operations and to improve aspects such as waste management and biodiversity? This project involved engagement with a lot of stakeholders as well. Not only from the ports but also from municipal bodies. We assessed the ports and through the discussions with stakeholders were able to identify new projects to drive progress and overcome certain barriers.

A diverse team

“Our team is split between the Netherlands and the UK and has colleagues from many different countries. And not only is the team diverse in terms of where they’re originally from, but also when it comes to academic background. This allows me to speak with many people with different specialisms, so I’m always learning something new.”