Day five in Cyprus, and the day started with a visit to Vassiliko Cement Works, where we learned about the process involved in making cement. I was also impressed with their vertical integration, owning the quarries, factories, and port: all major components of their supply chain. I was also glad to hear of their efforts to combat pollution, by altering the mix of their cement to require less clinker, which releases CO2 gas.
Additionally, we had a presentation from VTTV, an oil storage and processing facility. They own several jetties at Vassiliko’s port and facilitate the storage of oil and gas products coming into Cyprus. They serve an important role in buffering the disconnect between supply and demand by providing storage for safety inventory. This helps environmental sustainability as having sufficient supply of cleaner fuels means power plants on the island will not ever need to fall back on less sustainable alternatives, if for example there were a shortage.
Overall, it was interesting to compare and contrast the Vassiliko port with the Port of Limassol, which we visited yesterday. Vassiliko is owned privately, while the Port of Limassol is public, with space leased out by the government to concessioners such as DP World and Eurogate. The Vassiliko port is primarily used for industrial use, meaning the important and export of raw materials either for Vassiliko Cement’s use, or for third parties. The Port of Limassol however is used for import and export of shipping containers, as well as passengers. One very interesting thing was that the Vassiliko port also imports residential and industrial waste which is burned for heat needed in the process at Vassiliko Cement. This helps reduce reliance on other fuels while diverting waste from landfills.
Following lunch, the second stop at the day was at the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI) in Larnaca. We listened to many great presentations about ongoing projects which their institute is researching and working on solutions for. One thing I found interesting from the Digitization Center, one of their divisions, was a project mapping coastal erosion over time. Knowing the true location of the shore is not only important for environmental and safety concerns, but for the shipping industry to safely navigate coastal waters.
Another example of an interesting project was from the Marine + Offshore Science, Technology, and Engineering Center. This project focuses on retrofitting existing technologies to be more eco-friendly, in line with the Cyprus and EU goal of a Blue Economy focusing on sustainable growth. They aim to achieve this with methods like carbon capture. While I do not envision a career in maritime technology, the idea of retrofitting existing technology to make it more environmentally friendly may certainly appear in my career. Medical waste, as well as the manufacturing process of drugs and devices, can be very environmentally taxing. Being able to retrofit existing processes to reduce this impact could very well be a goal of my career.
Last, I found very interesting an autonomous jet ski project from the Marine Robotics Innovation Center. It uses two jet skis in tandem to catch pollution between them and remove it from the ocean. I was also shocked, but happy, to learn that the engineers at CMMI use C++ and MATLAB, two languages learned in the first-year engineering program, on the autonomous projects.
