As announced in September, the port authorities of Antwerp, Cartagena, Dover, Livorno and Oslo have been selected for the shortlist of the ESPO Award on Societal Integration of Ports. ESPO would like to present the shortlisted projects to the wider public before the winner is announced on 6 November, during the traditional ceremony, which will be held at the Town Hall of Brussels. Therefore, every shortlisted project will be presented, through questions and answers, on the ESPO website in the running up to 6 November, ESPO said in its press release.
Oslo Port Authority: In Oslo Maritime Cultural Heritage Plan we have done a systematic and thorough analysis of our maritime cultural artefacts, buildings, quays, cranes, lighthouses and marker buoys, and have assessed them with regard to worthiness for preservation and their current future use. We believe that the basic identification, valuation and description of the objective and the illustrative material are unique and necessary to have a good foundation on which to base development and preservation of maritime cultural heritage. Great emphasis has been placed on providing the information within two folders, in a language that is easy to understand and in a “package” that is attractive.
The plan itself should contribute to a greater awareness and knowledge to the history of the port. The plan has become a “bestseller” and winning an award will create an even stronger consideration and focus about taking care of the maritime cultural heritage.
ESPO: What are you going to do if you win the Award?
Oslo Port Authority: Besides being a proud winner of the ESPO Award 2013, the award will give us the opportunity and inspiration to both share and promote the plan – this will ensure that we, together with the general public, our customers and users and working with the antiquities authorities and city planning departments, will be more aware of the artefacts we administer. The plan and its guidelines for a further implementation can also work as a model for other ports.
ESPO: How would you make your experience in developing the project available to others?
Oslo Port Authority: The document is an important communication tool for explaining the port’s historical significance. The port of Oslo at the head of the Oslo Fjord is the starting point for the City of Oslo. We are planning to create an “app” for the Harbour Promenade, using the plan as a starting point in which the past, the present and the future can be shown on a mobile phone / iPad, accessible to the general public.