Volume 8 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1217427 This work aims to discuss the implementation of a communication plan as a key element of the epidemiological study to foster social capacity in the scarcely involved community of the industrial contaminated site of Porto Torres (Sardinia region We established an inter-institutional working group committed to developing communication activities and materials ensuring multidisciplinary skills from social and communication sciences to collaborate with the environmental and health experts involved in the epidemiological study The adopted methodological approach and communication strategy resulted in effective and successful engagement of local institutional and social actors in the design and implementation of targeted communication activities Designing and implementing environmental public health communication processes with poorly involved communities residing close to industrially contaminated sites is critically important environmental noxious exposures associated with high health risks are frequently combined with low socioeconomic conditions This calls upon mechanisms of environmental injustice and emphasizes the need to prioritize interventions based on integrative strategies securing local communities' engagement through informed participation Based on the lessons learned in this community-focused experience in Italy we have identified key actions for suitable environmental public health communication to foster social capacity and promote procedural environmental justice in communities living in other industrial contaminated sites One critical point in promoting environmental justice and public health in communities living in industrial polluted sites is represented by the capacity of institutional stakeholders (public health authorities and researchers) to correctly communicate the evidence of the health impact of contamination directly to the affected communities, beginning from their key representatives, and effectively involve local stakeholders (Ramirez-Andreotta et al., 2014) Each industrially contaminated site has its own characteristics. From the public health perspective, various can be the sources of contamination, the key contaminants, the pathways, and the circumstances of exposure of the affected population (Iavarone and Pasetto, 2018). In those contexts, promoting environmental public health therefore requires considering the community level, especially in the so-called monotowns (Shastitko and Fakhitova, 2015) where the presence of large industrial plants or industrial complexes determines a mono-functional evolution (i.e. a very strictly related socioeconomic progression of the communities and the industries) precluding them from any other possible development An international survey on the adoption of communication plans on risk associated with contaminated sites (Martin-Olmedo et al., 2019) showed that almost half of respondents (experts from 27 countries reporting on 81 key relevant sites) were either not aware or did not know whether a risk communication campaign was ever carried out in the contaminated site of interest or whether stakeholders were involved in the development of the communications strategy very few campaigns focused specifically on health risk data and about half of respondents declared an underreporting of uncertainty in health risk estimates independently of the stakeholder categories involved in the risk communication strategies This work aims to present and discuss the adoption of a structured approach for the implementation of a communication plan as a vital element of an epidemiological study to foster social capacity in the scarcely involved community of the industrial contaminated site of Porto Torres (Sardinia region Our goal is also to point out and share the lessons learned for developing and undertaking participative communication initiatives with other poorly involved communities living in contaminated sites Porto Torres was declared a Site of national priority for remediation in 2002. Most of the petrochemical plants closed around 2010 (with a massive loss of the workforce). The surviving current activities involve a few hundred of workers. As estimated by the Census 2011 data, 80% of the local population resides in highly socioeconomically deprived census tracts (Pasetto et al., 2022) can be considered a monotown in which the development and destiny of the industrial complex and the nearby community are strictly interconnected The Porto Torres contaminated site is included among the currently 46 Italian priority sites for remediation analyzed by the Italian national surveillance system “SENTIERI” with provides periodical updates of the health profile of the resident population (Zona et al., 2023) This surveillance system is based on informative flows of health data managed at central/national level and does not rely upon local environmental/health information nor includes direct interaction with local stakeholders to build up shared study protocols The study aimed at achieving the following goals: (a) collection and systematization of environmental contamination data; (b) identification of priority pollutants from the point of view of their danger to health and potential exposure of the population; (c) description of the health profiles of the local population considering multiple health outcomes (mortality morbidity—using hospital discharge records- cancer incidence) from local information systems; (d) identification of the most important results on the basis of an integrated evaluation of environmental toxicological and epidemiological data; (e) definition and implementation of a contextualized participative communication plan The present paper aims to report the experiences matured and the lesson learned in implementing a structured communication plan and aimed at improving the poor social capacity of the Porto Torres community The adopted methodology is presented below The communication strategy designed and implemented in the epidemiological study of Porto Torres relies on the communication guidelines proposed within the Italian epidemiological surveillance system of the priority contaminated sites for remediation SENTIERI (Marsili et al., 2017, 2021) and adapted to the specific characteristics of the local community context The four steps have been adapted to the study of Porto Torres and implemented as follows: The main goal was to transfer and share with the Porto Torres community the new scientific knowledge gained from the epidemiological study that investigated the health profile of the population resident only in the municipality of Porto Torres the second goal was to establish an intersectoral network of institutional actors involved both in the epidemiological study and in the communication activities 2) Identification and engagement of local institutional and social actors in the communication activities Knowledge of the local socio-institutional context is a key element for the identification and engagement of the local institutional and social actors of a municipality we identified the governmental Authorities and health and environmental Authorities as the main institutional interlocutors and the local educational system and social actors such as local environmental associations and media We implemented dedicated engagement initiatives to interact with each of the above-mentioned local actors using tailored languages for delivering key messages on the environmental health issues resulting from the study 2.1) Engaging local governmental authorities Building relationships with local governmental authorities of a poorly involved contaminated community represents a critical aspect of the communication process This is due to their relevant role in managing the scientific evidence emerging from the available studies in the decision-making process The engagement of local governmental Authorities in the communication process should foresee their participation in communicating with health and environmental local Authorities and in discussing the results of the epidemiological study with the community We engaged and strengthened relationships with the mayor and several members of the Municipal Council since the beginning of the study period through a two-way dialogue concerning the purpose and contents of the study as well as of the socioeconomic context of the Porto Torres municipality The engagement methodology also relied on baseline semi-structured surveys and interviews with members and councilors of the Porto Torres local Government The surveys and the interviews were designed by two researchers and verified by the communication expert of the local health Office and the second 3 months after the communication of the study results in September 2022 The aims were to assess the awareness of the local governmental Authorities about the impact of the polluting industrial complex on the community their information needs and expectations from the epidemiological study and their consideration regarding the communication to the community of the epidemiological study findings 2.2) Establishing an inter-institutional communication working group collaborating with the experts involved in the epidemiological study focusing on environmental and health issues ACTION. In Porto Torres, since the design of the epidemiological study, we established an inter-institutional (national-regional-local) working group ensuring multidisciplinary skills from social and communication sciences for a fruitful collaboration with the environmental and health experts involved in the epidemiological study to implement communication activities (Marsili et al., 2021) 2.3) Involving the local educational system We envisaged the interactions with teachers from the schools of Porto Torres through the municipal Administration for involving them in framing participative training initiatives for students we were unable to develop these collaborations due to the outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented us to perform participative meetings and activities in presence with teachers and students in their schools This type of communication activities has been done in presence to effectively engaging students and teachers 2.4) Engaging local social actors and citizens we established and progressively improved interactions with a local environmental association; we communicate with media and citizens on the purposes and findings of the epidemiological study through both institutional communication channels and public events 3) Selection of communication channels to disseminate tailored communications products to the diverse local stakeholders we identified the institutional websites of the Sardinian regional and local health Authorities as the official communication channels to disseminate tailored materials to diverse target categories related to the epidemiological study 4) Assessment of the impact of communication activities TOPIC. The impact assessment of communication activities in contaminated sites during the different phases of the studies is essential to understand the increased awareness and preparedness of the community to manage environmental and health risks information. The assessment can rely on qualitative and quantitative indicators [Enghel, 2017; Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (FUSS), 2017; Marsili et al., 2017] Assessing the impact of communication processes on previously uninvolved communities residing close to contaminated sites is particularly challenging due to their likely limited preparedness and modest experience to participate in communication initiatives We considered the adoption of the following indicators in the Porto Torres context: (i) the level of engagement of local and regional health and environmental Authorities in communication; (ii) the awareness of the municipal Authorities on the community point of view on the socio-economic and environmental health impact of the industrial complex; (iii) the number and tone of voice of the articles published on local and regional Media before and after the communication of the study results The methodological approach to environmental and public health communication described in this section relies on strengthening the capacity of local institutional actors to actively participate in the communication process with the community as well as on promoting preparedness and social capacity of the whole community (Pasetto et al., 2022) The adoption and implementation of the communication plan in Porto Torres relying on the methodological approach presented in this paper resulted to be quite effective for engaging key stakeholders The establishment of the inter-institutional multidisciplinary working group ensured collaborations between experts from communication and social sciences and environmental and health experts from the national-regional-local Authorities involved in the epidemiological study This allowed the shared implementation of the communication initiatives concerning the study findings and their implications on environmental and public health in Porto Torres The involvement of local governmental Authorities allowed us to build and strengthen trusted relationships during the study period which fostered their engagement in several activities such as the interviews the final communication event for presenting the results of the study to the community and the subsequent interactions for impact assessment The latter aspects were confirmed by results of two rounds of baseline semi-structured surveys and interviews conducted by a trained interviewer respectively mid-way in the study timeline and 3 months after the final communication of the study findings This assessment involved 9 members of the Porto Torres local Government (the Mayor and Municipal Council) for a total of 18 interviews We discharged two further interviews because two different people responded only to one of the two rounds The analysis of the information collected from the respondents allowed us to assess their engagement and awareness on the community living conditions relationships and needs to be involved in a participatory approach we have analyzed their awareness of the community point of view concerning the impact of the polluting industrial complex on the environment By comparing their answers in the first and the second interviews it emerges that most of the respondents strengthened their opinion on the negative impact of the industrial complex on the community health and the environment while confirming its positive impact on the economic conditions and the citizens' relationships in the first period after the plant opening the respondents recognized a growing conflict between population subgroups belonging to different occupational sectors as well as between old-young people due to a generational discontinuity about the perspective of developing a monofunctional community They also pointed out the conflict between the workers of the industrial complex and other citizens concerning the environmental and health impacts They were also aware of the low trust of citizens in local institutions mostly due to the historical poor exchanges and the failure of previous attempts to disseminate information The analysis of the interviews also pointed out the information needs and expectations from the epidemiological study of the municipal Authorities all the respondents expressed their interest in being informed on the cancer incidence affecting the community as well as on the evidence of causal relationships between the industrial pollution and the health-related effects all respondents expressed satisfaction with the results of the study in terms of providing evidence-based information not relying only on self-perceptions They also agreed that the results allow them to take informed decisions in planning interventions They also identified three key areas for recommended actions based on the study results: continuing the remediation activities; implementing environmental monitoring also considering possible new activities developed within the industrial complex; implementing cancer screening campaign and informing general practitioners on the epidemiological profile of the population to make them aware of specific risks A further important aspect concerned the increasing awareness of the respondents from the local government of the need to communicate with the community the results of the epidemiological study as well as contextualized environmental health issues the respondents stressed the willingness to promote environmental health literacy initiatives for the young generations in Porto Torres The effective engagement of the local governmental Authorities during the whole study period promoted their motivated and proactive participation in co-organizing a local public event to communicate the epidemiological study results by participating in person to the final communication event they expressed their accountability to the community coherently with their role of decision-makers corroborating the importance of adopting a participative approach to communication The communication of the study findings to the Porto Torres community including local environmental associations and citizens was performed during the final public event attended both in-person and remotely (i.e. co-organized the event with the local governmental Authorities and with the inter-institutional working group The active participation of representatives of the local institutions each one with its own role and responsibility corroborates the effectiveness of the communication in addressing delicate and sensitive topics such as the implementation of recommendations resulting from the epidemiological study and the consequent actions for prevention and environmental remediation The information flow and the contents of the communication material deserved special attention We published a section dedicated to the study namely “Health and Environment in Porto Torres” (Salute e Ambiente a Porto Torres in the institutional websites https://www.sardegnasalute.it/index.php?xsl=316&s=9&v=9&c=94516&na=1&n=10) where all the outreach material was progressively made available and freely accessible • Tailored documents in lay language to share with non-expert interlocutors the study findings through texts (poster information and web texts) and informative graphic representations such as the digital conceptual map of the study highlighting the links between the environmental and health issues characterizing the study and the glossary of the most relevant scientific terms used by the study; • A technical report for local and regional health and environmental technicians containing the adopted methodologies of the environmental, health, and communication components of the study as well as the study results (Pasetto et al., 2022); we assessed the impact of communication activities in Porto Torres through qualitative and quantitative indicators as described in the following i) Level of engagement of local and regional health and environmental Authorities in communication (poor Their engagement level resulted to be high because of the effective collaborations with the inter-institutional communication-working group They participated and shared responsibilities in selecting information and the most relevant results of the study to be shared with the whole community through outreach and dissemination initiatives Their active participation in the final public event to communicate the study findings further corroborated their full engagement ii) Awareness of the municipal Authorities on the community point of view about the impacts of the industrial complex and the communication needs The analysis of the information collected during the two-rounds interviews demonstrated a progressive improvement of their awareness of the community concerns on the local environment and health problems of the concerns and conflicts expressed by the diverse occupational sectors and old-young generations of the community The local government representatives also expressed the need to foster environmental health communication initiatives relying on a participative approach We monitored the publication of articles in journals websites and social media addressing the study findings in the months before and after the public communication event 13 of which before (four in regional and local journals and four in social media) and 11 after the communication of the study results (five in regional and local journals we assessed the contents of the articles in terms of the correctness and faithfulness of the study aims and results We found non-alarming information in most of the articles They effectively focused on the key messages emerging from the study They reported the actual aims of the study and the articles published after the communication of the study results reported the sentences taken from the booklet presented during the public event and published on the regional and local institutional websites The strategic decision to establish the inter-institutional and multidisciplinary working group to share and plan the communication initiatives related to the epidemiological study and assess the implications for environmental and public health in Porto Torres The engagement of experts from the health communication offices of the Sardinia Region in the communication-working group allowed us to better implementing the communication initiatives taking into account local information and knowledge of the Porto Torres socio-institutional context This made it possible to identify the local institutional and social actors to be involved the socio-cultural attitude and behaviors of the community to be included in public events; the level of the citizens' trust in the local institutions the socioeconomic housing distribution of Porto Torres The design and implementation of a contextualized communication plan is a peculiar characteristic of an epidemiological study focused on a specific community (Pasetto et al., 2022) Porto Torres municipality is the urban nucleus adjacent to the industrial complex (including the petrochemical a thermoelectric power plant and the port area) within a larger contaminated site also including the town of Sassari (about 130,000 inhabitants with the urban area located about 20 km away from the industrial complex) Our community-based epidemiological study included only the population of Porto Torres (about 22.000 inhabitants) identified as the main target community affected by industrial contamination and subject to epidemiological assessment This approach has strongly motivated the involved local environmental and health experts to directly participating in the public communication initiatives and also answering to the information needs of the community through a participative approach local media used the most important messages from the epidemiological study freely accessible through the local institutional websites for their own communications aimed at describing the resulting environmental health profile of Porto Torres residents These contributions actually resulted in effective dissemination to the community They also highlighted the transparent approach adopted in communicating the aims and results of the epidemiological study to the whole community The creation of this collaborative framework for sharing communication strategies and initiatives fostered the establishment of trust relationships among the local governmental Authorities environmental and health institutional actors as well as the effective engagement of social actors Undoubtedly the interest and active participation of experts from the National Institute of Health (ISS) in the design and implementation of the epidemiological study and the related communication plan has contributed to strengthening the trust of local community in public institutions favoring the establishment of constructive interactions we have discussed the implementation of a structured communication plan associated with the epidemiological study of a poorly involved community living in the contaminated site of Porto Torres The adopted methodological approach and communication strategy resulted in effective and successful engagement of local institutional and social actors in the design and execution of targeted communication activities The impact of communication and the level of engagement of local institutional and social actors (namely corroborating the effectiveness of the adopted strategy and methodology The experience gained in the communication of the Porto Torres epidemiological study with the different local stakeholders highlights the importance of including the communication plan as a key element of the study and implications for the community social capacity and procedural environmental justice at local level Strengths and the weaknesses identified for each step undertaken to implement the communication plan are representative for other areas with poorly involved communities The actions to tackle local challenges can be considered as either strategic actions to secure strengths or mitigation actions to overcome weaknesses These strategic actions are also proposed to ensure the improvement of community social capacity and the promotion of procedural environmental justice Key actions for a suitable environmental public health communication with poorly involved communities living in industrial contaminated sites Hierarchical four-step communication procedure is analyzed in terms of strengths actions to tackle local challenges and implications for the community social capacity and environmental procedural justice The adopted approach for environmental public health communication in Porto Torres allowed us to establish a participatory process to address the issues of procedural environmental justice This approach is suitable to be applied and consolidated by researchers and practitioners in other similar industrial contaminated areas to engage stakeholders and foster social capacity in communities scarcely involved in the decision-making process The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author and wrote the first draft of the manuscript and contributed to design and interpret the surveys II contributed to write sections of the manuscript All authors contributed to manuscript revision The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research We thank the Porto Torres Governmental Authorities who participated in our surveys and interviews and Liliana Recino (expert of the local health communication Office) for her contribution in revising the surveys We thank the experts involved in the communication-working group for their proactive participation and effective contributions We also thank Amerigo Zona (Istituto Superiore di Sanità) for his contribution in elaborating the communication tools namely the glossary and the conceptual map of the study and Alessandra Fabri (Istituto Superiore di Sanità) for the technical support in managing the software for the digital version of the conceptual map of the study The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher Adamonyte, D., and Loots, I. 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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Daniela Marsili, ZGFuaWVsYS5tYXJzaWxpQGlzcy5pdA== Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times Plans are pressing ahead to twin Sligo with Porto Torres Correspondence has already been exchanged between the Mayor of Porto Torres Massimo Mulas and his counter part in Sligo The possibility of twinning Sligo with the Italian city was raised by local businessman Giovanni Molinari who has been the driving force behind the initiative Porto Torres is on the north-west coast of Sardinia with a population similar to Sligo at 22,134 and is the main tourist and commercial port of north-western Sardinia Mayor Porto Torres wrote to City Hall setting out his desire to progress the twinning “The Administration is determined in its intention to carry forward the Friendship Pact between the two Cities and has continued along the administrative path the Porto Torres City Council has approved the regulation for the establishment and management of the twinning agreements with the city of Porto Torres and to regulate the activity of the Twinning Committees I am always convinced of the importance of promoting the European integration process by promoting intercultural dialogue and the exchange of experiences “We are available for the proposed remote meeting between the two delegations established for the twinning on March 4th at 5.30/6.00 pm While the Local Elections last summer delayed progress in the formal twinning process a Porto Torres-Sligo Town Twinning committee has been established A meeting took place last November in the Glasshouse Hotel and a number of officers were elected The newly elected chairperson was former Mayor and councillor Rosaleen O’Grady while its president is Mr Molinari The committee secretary is Johanna Callaghan and Treasurer Stefano Cassol The objectives of the association are to promote friendship and cultural exchange between the people of both towns and to develop and support joint initiatives projects and activities which will benefit both communities trade and economic co-operation between the two towns League of IrelandSligo Rovers boss John Russell explains why star midfielder Connor Malley was left out of Shamrock Rovers tripSligo Rovers manager John Russell has suggested that midfielder Connor Malley was left out of the squad for yesterday’s defeat to Shamrock Rovers because of how he has trained and conducted himself around the group Barcelona’s Ferran Torres celebrates after scoring the opening goal during a Champions League group H soccer match between FC Porto and Barcelona at the Dragao stadium in Porto Porto’s Stephen Eustaquio fights for the ball with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal during a Champions League group H soccer match between FC Porto and Barcelona at the Dragao stadium in Porto Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo reacts after a penalty decision for Porto was overruled by the VAR during a Champions League group H soccer match between FC Porto and Barcelona at the Dragao stadium in Porto Barcelona’s head coach Xavi Hernandez gestures during a Champions League group H soccer match between FC Porto and Barcelona at the Dragao stadium in Porto Porto’s Evanilson vies for the ball with Barcelona’s Jules Kounde Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scores the opening goal during a Champions League group H soccer match between FC Porto and Barcelona at the Dragao stadium in Porto Porto fans cheer on the stands at the start of a Champions League group H soccer match between FC Porto and Barcelona at the Dragao stadium in Porto Portugal (AP) — Ferran Torres scored after replacing the injured Robert Lewandowski to help Barcelona win 1-0 at Porto on Wednesday while teenager Lamine Yamal became the youngest starter in the history of the Champions League Lewandowski hurt his left ankle when tackled by defender David Carmo but he was still limping and eventually came off in the 34th Torres capitalized on the only major mistake by Porto when Romário Baro weakly hit a pass toward his defense and then stood by while Ilkay Gündoğan raced past to pick up the ball and set up his forward to score the winner It was a tough loss for Porto after it generated several scoring chances in a second half that the hosts dominated at Estádio do Dragão “We said before the game that this match would go a long way to determining the order of the group so we had to win it one way or another,” Torres said “Today we showed that we don’t have to have the ball to pull out a win.” Barcelona finished with 10 men after Gavi Páez saw a second yellow card in stoppage time Barcelona’s Yamal became the youngest starter in the history of the Champions League at 16 years Yamal already had the record for the youngest player to play for Barcelona from last season He became the youngest scorer in a European Championship qualifier when he debuted for Spain last month Yamal was substituted by Marcos Alonso in the 80th with a stomach problem according to Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández Xavi also said that it appeared Lewandowski had only suffered a hard knock on his ankle is trying to move past the group phase for the first time in three seasons and has experienced some huge losses in the tournament since its last title in 2015 Xavi said that while the win was nothing to brag about he would take it since his team showed the character needed to win ugly on the road in the Champions League and we left it all on the field today,” Xavi said “If we have been haunted by bad results (in the Champions League) in recent years then today we were able to exorcise some of those ghosts.” Porto coach Sérgio Conceição won the tactical battle against Xavi the holding midfielder who has replaced Sergio Busquets this season at Barcelona every time he touched the ball and that succeeded in disrupting the visitors’ possession-based attack which threatened on the counterattack while Barcelona was unable to do much more in attack beyond Torres’ opportunistic goal but our best ball handlers were injured,” Xavi said in reference to injured midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Pedri González The second half was all about Porto attacking in waves and Barcelona relying on center back pair Jules Koundé and Ronald Araújo along with goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen Koundé and Araújo both had to make risky tackles in the area to stop Porto’s speedy winger Pepé after he broke free in the area Porto striker Mehdi Taremi also went close before Xavi reinforced his midfielder with youngster Fermin López and veteran Sergi Roberto and his defense with Alonso to cling to the win but to play at the highest level in the best competition in the world everyone needs to be focused every minute,” Conceição said “You can’t make certain mistakes in this competition even though we put everything into this game.” Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Fifteen European clubs competed in the preliminary round of the Champions League on Friday 31st January and Saturday 1st February 2020 in a bid to progress through to the last eight of the Champions League As in 2018, RSB Thuringia Bulls (GER) and CD Ilunion (ESP) finished first and second, respectively, in the 2019 Champions League automatically qualifying them for this season’s quarter-finals so the competition was on to see who would join them The preliminary round was made up of three groups with five teams in each group Only the top two teams from each group would qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League with the teams finishing in third and fourth qualifying for the EuroLeague finals and the teams finishing in fifth being eliminated from further European competition for this season the teams joining RSB Thuringia Bulls and CD Ilunion in the next round are Bidaideak Bilbao BSR (ESP) Spain’s BSR ACE Gran Canaria qualified for Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in their history topping the group after coming back to win their final three games after losing their opening game to Israel’s Ilan Ramat Gan (60-64) Turkish heavyweights Galatasaray SK claimed the second place edged out Ilan Ramat Gan for the third spot Click here to re-watch all games or click here to view results, leaders and standings. ADM Econy BSR ACE Gran Canaria)Ismail Ar (1.5 ADM Econy BSR ACE Gran Canaria)Adolfo Berdun (3.5 A three-way tie between Besiktas JK TBST (TUR) Le Cannet (FRA) and GSD Porto Torres (ITA) who all finished with two wins and two losses meant the results between the three teams would decide the placings Besiktas JK TBST claimed the second spot on point difference with France’s Le Cannet finishing third to gain a consolation place in the EuroLeague 1 Finals whilst Porto Torres finished fourth and will head to the EuroLeague 2 Finals Russia’s BasKI TSOP lost all their games and were therefore eliminated Click here to re-watch all games or click here to view results, leaders and standings. Group C was also held in Spain but in the city of Bilbao Germany’s RSV Lahn-Dill progressed to the quarter-finals with a clean sweep of the group as they look to qualify for the final four they are set to host in May Hosts Bidaideak Bilbao BSR finished second Italy’s DECO Group Amicacci Giulianova secured third place and progressed to the EuroLeague 1 Finals with two wins and two losses beat France’s CS Meaux by one point (65-64) Click here to re-watch all games or click here to view results, leaders and standings. TSK Rehab Merkezi Eng.SK.)Thomas Böhme (3.0 Bidaideak Bilbao BSR)Raimunds Beginskis (2.0 The draw for the quarter-finals took place in Albacete Spain following the conclusion of the preliminary round Germany to compete with RSB Thuringia Bulls (GER) are BSR Amiab Albacete (ESP) and RSV Lahn-Dill (GER) will head to Madrid to compete with host CD Ilunion (ESP) and DECO Group Amicacci Giulianova (ITA) will take their place in the EuroLeague 1 Finals and TSK Rehab Merkezi Eng.SK (TUR) will compete in the EuroLeague 2 Finals in April The remaining teams to qualify for these Finals will be known in early March after the EuroLeague Preliminary rounds For more information about IWBF Europe’s Champions League and EuroLeague click here The Grimaldi Group is getting ready for the launch of its new Savona-Porto Torres ro-pax line The ferry Zeus Palace will sail on the new route departing for the first time from Porto Torres on 16 May The new maritime link will enhance the network of connections offered by the Neapolitan company between Sardinia and mainland Italy for the benefit of passengers and transport companies The new service will operate three times a week from 16 May to 1 July 2022 and from 19 September to 31 December 2022 with sailings from Savona every Tuesday and Thursday at 8.30 pm and every Saturday at 6.30 pm Departures from Porto Torres are scheduled every Monday In the same period a weekly call is also scheduled in Cagliari will arrive every Saturday at 8.00 pm and then depart at 11.59 pm the Group will raise the number of weekly departures to six in both directions the Zeus Palace will sail from Savona at 10.00 pm and from Porto Torres at 10.00 am From 14 August departure times will be reversed with sailings from Savona at 10.00 am and from Porto Torres at 10.00 pm The Italian-flagged ro/pax vessel Zeus Palace can carry up to 1,720 passengers and about 2,000 linear meters of rolling freight (cars She has 202 cabins (for a total of 796 beds) of various types (inside all with en suite facilities and air conditioning some of which are equipped for passengers with reduced mobility all cabins can also accommodate pets traveling in tow the lounge has 212 comfortable reclining seats The services and facilities offered on board include the self-service restaurant children’s play area and evening entertainment with live music The Zeus Palace is a modern ship with a high environmental performance thanks to the application of top quality silicone paints on the hull to the optimized propulsion system with innovative blade profile and to the exhaust gas cleaning system that reduces sulphur and particulate emissions The extensive network of connections that Grimaldi dedicates to Sardinia will therefore grow with this new The Group currently operates the historic Civitavecchia-Porto Torres-Barcelona route and other regular lines for the transport of both freight and passengers Naples-Cagliari-Palermo and Civitavecchia-Arbatax-Cagliari as well as numerous pure freight services linking Cagliari with Genoa Top News,Greece Greece has approved an international tender for hydrocarbon exploration in four blocks in the Mediterranean Sea Top News,World Top News,Energy World,Word newsletter The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) participated in the 2025 edition of Sea Asia one of the premier maritime industry events in the Asia-Pacific… Leading mental health support provider MHSS is proud to confirm its commitment to diversity and inclusion with the appointment of two psychologists… Design & Development by P.KAN.DESIGNER Design & Development by P.KAN.DESIGNER incorporated in England and Wales (company number 15236213) having its registered office at 4 Bouverie Street The content you are trying to view is exclusive to our subscribers You have reached the limit for gifting for this month Spanish midfielder Oliver Torres says he is happy at Porto. Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty ImagesOliver Torres is not thinking about his prospects at Atletico Madrid once his loan spell with FC Porto ends next year is on having a strong season at the Dragao stadium in Portugal Torres is on international duty with Spain's under-21 squad who take on Austria in Friday's European U21 Championship qualifying match in St The Spanish midfielder told Onda Cero radio: "I'm not thinking about a return [to Atletico] right now growing as a player and enjoying this experience FC Porto have an option to buy Torres for €20 million once his loan deal expires in December 2017 who is under contract with Atletico until June 2018 started in just 14 games in all competitions for Atletico in the 2015-16 campaign and left the Rojiblancos this summer in search of more playing time "It's not easy to succeed in La Liga when you are young," Torres said "I have to continue to grow and gain experience." He returned to Porto for a second spell on loan having enjoyed a strong 2014-15 with the Portuguese giants, starting 28 games for them to help the Dragoes finish runners-up behind Benfica in the Primeira Liga. The energy company is progressing its second project for the Mediterranean island as it lines up vessels for its first terminal Italian energy company Snam is pursuing a second floating storage and regasification unit-based LNG import terminal for the Mediterranean island of Sardinia as it moves to lock in additional vessels for its first facility there. Those following the business said Snam has sent out a requirement to shipowners for a 25,000-cbm FSRU. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Your data on TradeWinds TradeWinds is part of DN Media Group AS From November 1st DN Media Group is responsible for controlling your data on TradeWinds We use your data to ensure you have a secure and enjoyable user experience when visiting our site. You can read more about how we handle your information in our privacy policy DN Media Group is the leading news provider in the shipping, seafood, and energy industries, with a number of English- and Norwegian-language news publications across a variety of sectors. Read more about DN Media Group here TradeWinds is part of NHST Global Publications AS and we are responsible for the data that you register with us and the data we collect when you visit our websites We use cookies in a variety of ways to improve your experience such as keeping NHST websites reliable and secure personalising content and ads and to analyse how our sites are being used For more information and how to manage your privacy settings please refer to our privacy and cookie policies Greek conglomerate Mytilineos SA strengthened its position in Italy when its Renewables and Storage Development (RSD) Business Unit secured a 20-year contact with Italy’s state-owned agency GSE a deal that includes a 52.8 MW solar project on the island of Sardinia The project named Porta Torres in north-west Sardinia is in a region identified as a strategic hub in the Italian market the project was fully developed by its RSD Business Unit and is Ready to Build The project is the second largest project to participate in the Sixth Italian Renewable Energy Sources (RES) auction The RSD Business Unit was well placed in the Italian market with a 1.7GW solar energy storage and Green Hydrogen pipeline Its projects in Italy which are in different stages of development in 15 locations established Mytilineos as one of the companies that can participate in future RES auction READ MORE: Greece’s Mytilineos will supply solar power to Australia’s Coles supermarket The general manager of the RSD Business Unit Nikos Papapetrou said that the projects placed the company in a leading position in Italy “Porto Torres project is a big achievement for the RSD team in Italy which has developed the Project from scratch This represents the capability of Mytilineos to go downstream in the development process and value chain Jointly with the awarding of the 20% Terna Fast Reserve Auction in Center-South Italy and Sardinia this represents an additional milestone in positioning the company as a leading player in the Italian Energy Market,” Mr Papapetrou said He said the company full supported Greece and Italy’s strategic decarbonisation plans with current and future investments in the sector particularly with European Union energy prices at historic highs Mytilineos subsidiary METKA EGN signed a 10-year deal to supply power from renewable energy sources to Australian supermarket giant Coles and its 2,500 stores Under that agreement the Coles network would cover 10 percent of its energy needs by buying 70 percent of the power generated by three METKA EGN projects with a total capacity of 120MW METKA EGN is an international provider of clean energy across five continents RSD Business Unit acquired a 75MW solar project in New South Wales from ESCO Pacific This was in addition to six projects in NSW and Queensland that RSD Business Unit acquired the year before READ MORE: Mytilineos acquires a 75 MW solar project in Australia The Mayor of an Italian city has warmly welcomed approaches about a possible twinning with Sligo Massimo Mulas has written to the Mayor of Sligo councillor Declan Bree following approaches to initiate possible twinning by local businessman Porto Torres is on the north-west coast of Sardinia with a population similar to Sligo at 22,134 The Italian Mayor in his letter to Cllr Bree states: “The city of Porto Torres is today the main tourist and commercial port of north-western Sardinia “Located in the center of the Gulf of Asinara “It is located a very short distance from the most famous tourist destinations in northern Sardinia and offers the visitor pleasant routes along the seafront and walks among the imposing vestiges of the past and among lively markets and artisan shops “The island of Asinara is also part of the territory a National Park of extraordinary naturalistic and historical value since 1997 Colonia Iulia Turris Libisonis is the ancient name of the city in Roman times The original settlement still preserves the archaeological and monumental remains of a city named after the same gens of the emperor Augustus: large public and private baths luxurious domus embellished with mosaics and monumental engineering works such as the Roman Bridge “As evidence of the prestigious role played by the city during the Middle Ages the Romanesque Basilica of San Gavino stands on the Monte Agellu hill unique for its monumentality and the presence of two facing apses “Important archaeological and monumental sites in the area which narrate the glorious past of the City are: the domus de janas of Su Crucifissu Mannu the National Archaeological Museum Antiquarium Turritano the archaeological area of Turris Libisonis the Basilica of San Gavino and the churches of Balai near and Balai far the petrochemical industries have joined agriculture and fishing and marked the recent events of the city built to host one of the most important industrial complexes in the petrochemical sector in Italy due to the processes of delocalisation and deindustrialisation “Now a constant and slow process of reconversion of industrial areas is underway as well as consolidation of the tourist offer thanks to the natural and cultural resources of the area “There are many points of contact with the city of Sligo both cities are archaeological treasures and are important ports in the north-west of their respective regions In the belief of the importance of promoting the process of European integration by promoting intercultural dialogue the constructive comparison of opinions and mutual enrichment the writer would be pleased to initiate and establish a collaborative relationship with this Administration until the signing of the twinning agreement between the two cities “With the hope that the project to unite our territories in the name of culture art and their natural beauty may be appreciated awaiting a kind response I send my warmest regards.” Mollinari is in the process of establishing a twinning committee in Sligo and has already held discussions with Mayor Bree about advancing the process of twinning with Porto Torres The Rojiblancos academy graduate is in the middle of a second loan spell in the Primeira Liga and will make it his permanent home in the summer Porto have confirmed they have exercised their option to buy Atletico Madrid starlet Oliver Torres for €20 million at the end of his loan The 22-year-old midfielder is currently in the Primeira Liga on a temporary deal for the duration of the 2016-17 season but will make the move permanent in the summer Suarez given ban but Barca appeal It is Oliver's second such loan spell with Porto after a season-long arrangement during the 2014-15 campaign when he scored seven goals in 26 league games This season he has netted twice in 18 games in the Portuguese top flight and his form has convinced Porto to activate their option to sign him outright from Atletico hereby informs the market that it has exercised the purchase option for the acquisition of the sporting rights of the athlete Oliver from Atletico Madrid," a club statement reads "It is further informed that the contract of employment with the player will be effective upon the termination of the loan agreement currently in force." a nominee for the 2014 Golden Boy award and highly rated as a youngster at Atletico became a first-team player under Diego Simeone last season and made 30 appearances in all competitions When are the Champions League last-16 games? He was deemed surplus to requirements last summer and returned to Porto to link up with fellow Spaniards Iker Casillas and Ivan Marcano Oliver is yet to make his senior Spain debut but has been a regular for the Under-21 side His 24 caps tie him for seventh place on the all-time list and he remains eligible for the current European Championship cycle You have reached ESPN's UK edition. Stay on current site or go to US version Oliver Torres is set to become the second most expensive player in Portuguese league history. Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty ImagesAtletico Madrid's Oliver Torres will join Porto permanently in the summer for €20 million after the Portuguese giants exercised a clause in his current loan deal The midfielder has shone for the club during his second loan stint at the Estadio do Dragao scoring two goals and setting up one more during his 18 league appearances this season "Porto hereby informs the market that it has exercised the purchase option for the acquisition of the sporting rights of the athlete Oliver from Atletico Madrid," a club statement reads "It is further informed that the contract of employment with the player will be effective upon the termination of the loan agreement currently in force." The transfer will be the second biggest deal in the history of the Portuguese league just €2m short of the €22 million Benfica paid Atletico for Mexican international Raul Jimenez in 2015 Porto seal Atleti double deal | Football EspanaPorto have announced the signings of Atletico Madrid midfielders Oliver Torres and Diogo Jota on season-long loans Oliver rejoins Porto after spending the 2014-15 campaign with the Portuguese giants where he scored seven goals in 40 appearances but failed to win any silverware under compatriot and new Spain boss Julen Lopetegui Official: Sevilla loan Sirigu | Football Espana Sevilla have completed the signing of Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu on a season-long loan although PSG are said to be covering over half of Sirigu’s wages Real Betis vs. Deportivo La Coruña - ESPNDraw specialists Deportivo La Coruna claimed a deserved point in a goalless and uninspiring match away to Real Betis The Galicians drew 18 of their LaLiga matches last term and now have four points from their opening two games of the new campaign though they lacked an attacking focus without Arsenal-bound forward Lucas Perez Andreas Pereira joins Granada on loan from Manchester United | Sky SportsManchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira will spend the season on loan with Granada in La Liga after the two clubs agreed on a season-long transfer who made 13 appearances during Louis van Gaal's time in charge of United trained with his new team-mates in Spain on Friday Official: Lopez returns to Espanyol | Football Espana Espanyol have confirmed the return of midfielder David Lopez from Napoli for a reported €4.5m Lopez has put pen to paper on a four-year contract with Espanyol that could be extended to five Sousa: 'Rossi to Celta Vigo' | Football ItaliaFiorentina Coach Paulo Sousa confirms "Giuseppe Rossi has a deal with Celta Vigo," but intends to keep Napoli target Nikola Kalinic The Viola have been at the centre of several transfer stories over the last few days including Rossi’s imminent move to Celta Vigo on loan for the final year of his contract Official: Eibar loan Granada’s Rico | Football EspanaEibar have announced the signing of Granada captain Fran Rico on a season-long loan Rico was considered surplus to requirements by Paco Jemez and promptly underwent a medical with Eibar before formalising his temporary switch Nuha joins CA OsasunaGambian international striker Nuha Marong has signed a four-year deal with Laliga side CA Osasuna according to reports in his new club portal Noha who joined the club earlier this week caught the eye of his new clubs agents in a wake of his impressive goal-galore last season where he scored twelve goals in with the forth tier outfit Elche Ferran Torres’s strike earned Barcelona a tense 1-0 win at Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday in coach Xavi Hernandez’s 100th game in charge Barcelona have been eliminated in the opening stage in the past two editions but this hard-fought triumph on the road puts them in a strong position as Group H leaders to avoid a third consecutive strike-out Xavi said the trip to the north of Portugal would be the hardest group game and his team had to dig deep surviving a penalty which was cancelled after a VAR review and an offside goal in the gripping final stages Read the full story on the Times of Malta sports website... please register for free or log in to your account He returned to Porto for a second spell on loan having enjoyed a strong 2014-15 with the Portuguese giants starting 28 games for them to help the Dragoes finish runners-up behind Benfica in the Primeira Liga Oliver Torres has impressed current Porto boss Julen Lopetegui. Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty ImagesOliver Torres was the youngest starter in the FC Porto team who surprised Bayern Munich by recording a 3-1 victory in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie last week The 20-year-old midfielder will again hope to be involved in Munich on Tuesday as the Portuguese side seek to complete the job and progress to the last four Torres is currently on loan at Porto from Atletico Madrid whom he joined at the age of 13 after impressing for the Morala football school in his native Navalmoral de la Mata in Extremadura province he had had a short spell at the Fundacion Marcet in Barcelona during which he had attracted interest from Barcelona and Espanyol the distance that separated him from his family proved too much for the then-11-year-old Madrid was closer to home and he settled quickly at Atletico he was called up to the senior squad for the first time in April 2012 having not yet made his B team debut he was the tempo-setter for the Spain team who won the European under-19 Championship in Estonia under the stewardship of his current Porto boss Julen Lopetegui Caps at U20 and U21 level have since followed Torres was handed his first-team debut at Atletico by Diego Simeone in August 2012 but rotated between the senior and B team squads for much of the 2012-13 season He began last season as a permanent part of the first-team group and scored his first goal for the club just 12 seconds into his first start at home to Real Betis and he was loaned to Villarreal following the January signing of Diego Ribas Despite his relative lack of minutes at El Madrigal, numerous clubs expressed an interest in taking him on loan for the current campaign. But it was Porto, with Lopetegui at the helm, that represented the most compelling option. His impressive performances for the side in both domestic and European competition have, according to recent reports convinced Atletico to take him back to the Vicente Calderon and integrate him into next season's first-team squad Torres is a small and slight midfielder who relies on his excellent technical qualities and acute reading of the game to overcome his relative physical weakness He consistently seeks out the ball and makes good decisions when possession comes his way His natural position is as a deep-lying creator but at Porto he has also shown himself capable of making an impact in the final third with seven goals and six assists in the league so far this season has made more tackles per match (1.9) than any of the other midfielders (Evandro Ruben Neves) who have taken up the one of the two positions in front of dedicated holder Casemiro during Porto's campaign to date Shows good determination despite his slight frame Marking: Torres works hard to help out defensively and does a solid job of pressing players and space even when he doesn't make a direct tackle or interception Heading: His lack of height makes this a clear weakness in his game although he is not usually put in situations where opposition teams can take advantage of it in the win over Estoril earlier this month Close control: Comfortable receiving the ball in tight spaces with his neat touch and excellent balance on the turn usually sufficient to see him extricate himself from tricky situations Very rarely allows the ball to escape his control Passing: Distributes crisply and accurately over short and medium distances while he displays excellent vision and a good appreciation over when to vary the tempo of his side's play Capable of neat first-time passes around the corner and well-weighted through-balls in behind The difference he makes to the fluidity of Porto's play was evident by his impact off the bench in the second half of their 1-1 draw away to Sporting last September Positioning: Varies his positioning between dropping deep to take the ball from Casemiro providing a vertical option with intelligent movement between the lines and making off-ball forward runs into the inside channels Crossing: Doesn't regularly get into crossing positions he usually tries to pick out a specific option instead of throwing a hopeful ball into the area Finishing: He has shown himself to be a sharp and precise finisher from in and around the penalty area this season despite having an unimpressive scoring record in his homeland prior to joining Porto His seven goals in 22 league appearances have not been matched by a similar scoring rate in the Champions League he has not taken a single shot during Porto's European campaign to date and read the game very well. What The Experts Say Porto coach Lopetegui: "He stands out because he always wants the ball He must continue to develop all aspects of his game and show a desire to keep learning Portuguese football expert Vasco Mota Pereira: "The midfielder's impressive technique and ability with both feet are what usually get the most attention But it's what precedes all of that that is the most striking: Torres' speed of thought allows him to interpret the game's situations before his opponents -- and sometimes his own teammates." Atlético are going to have a serious player on their hands when he returns from Porto - Jamie Kemp (@jamiemkemp) March 26, 2015 Oliver is so named because his younger brother was a big fan of the Japanese cartoon series "Captain Tsubasa," which was re-titled "Oliver and Benji" in its Spanish translation This season was always going to be an important one for Torres He needed to prove that he was capable of imposing himself at senior level and of producing an end product to match his undoubted ability to set the rhythm from deep Porto offered a demanding environment and Champions League football but also provided a ready-made support network of a familiar coach and plenty of Spanish speakers Torres has thrived at the Dragao and passed the tests that have been placed in front of him with relative ease His series of impressive and mature displays appear to have convinced Simeone that he is ready to be a part of the Atletico first-team squad That some of his best performances have come in Porto's most demanding fixtures has surely played a key role in that assessment There can be little doubt that the 20-year-old has a highly promising future ahead of him but the level he has displayed during the current campaign has made his progress impossible to ignore his sole focus will be on continuing his good form by helping Porto through a potentially season-defining week that sees Tuesday's trip to Munich followed by another to league-leaders Benfica on Sunday Construction Week Online Home » Products and Services » Grove cranes enlisted for $670mn chemical complex A six-strong fleet of Grove cranes is supporting construction at the Porto Torres Green Hub in Sardinia The Grove all-terrain and rough-terrain units whose capacities range from 40 tonnes to 300 tonnes will spend six years working at the giant chemical complex The cranes are being used to install an array of plant equipment and materials including 15 tanks with capacities of up to 500m3 “This is not the first time we’ve used our Grove cranes on a project of this size and importance and we are confident they will deliver excellent performance,” commented Luca Pibiri general manager of main contractor and crane owner “Grove cranes are durable and reliable machines and our operators find their simple operating systems and fast [setup times] make life much easier,” he added which is situated just off the Italian coast will see the complete conversion of the existing chemical complex from a fossil fuel plant to a bio-based production facility With its tight corners and an intricate maze of equipment it is a challenging one for cranes – especially the 300-tonne-capacity Grove GMK6300L – to negotiate The coastal location’s uneven sandy terrain also brings with it its own difficulties but Pibiri and his colleagues contend that I.COM’s Grove cranes are up to the job The machines were supplied to the contractor by Grove’s Italian dealer the South Europe director of Grove’s parent company said: “This is such a big project that needs the best equipment and the best service “FIMI’s staff have the expertise and the experience to fully meet the needs of the customer and ensure this ambitious project moves ahead on schedule.” The Grove all-terrain cranes at the Porto Torres Green Hub project include two 75-tonne capacity GMK4075s includes a 35-tonne capacity RT540E and a 45-tonne capacity RT550E both of which were built at Grove’s Italian factory in Niella Tanaro I.COM is transforming the chemical facility on behalf of Matrica SpA a joint venture between Italian chemical company the Porto Torres Gren Hub will produce bio-plastics Porto have welcomed back Oliver Torres from Atletico Madrid after agreeing another loan spell for the 21-year-old Atletico Madrid midfielder Oliver Torres has returned to Porto for a second spell on loan until December 31 2017 The 21-year-old spent the 2014-15 campaign with the Primeira Liga outfit scoring seven goals in 26 league appearance as Porto finished runners-up behind Benfica He returned to Atleti last term but struggled to hold down a regular starting spot under Diego Simeone With competition for places in the Atleti midfield high the youngster will have the chance to shine in Portugal once again after agreeing his new loan spell Óliver Torres.Bem-vindo / Bienvenido / WelcomeAugust 25, 2016 "Oliver Torres is back at FC Porto," a club statement announced "Oliver was one of the leading figures of the team [in 2014-15] and also a fans' favourite "The quality of the Spaniard represents an important reinforcement for Nuno Espirito Santo's team with the Dragao seeing the return of one of its most cherished players in the last few seasons."