French Neo-Eco starts surveying ports in Odesa region

MOSCOW. April 5 (Interfax) - Neo-Eco and Neo-Eco Ukraine start surveying ports in the Odessa region on the orders from the Odesa regional state administration for further dredging and adjustment of the sediment and waste management system, Neo-Eco Ukraine Director Bart Gruyaert told Ukrainian media.

"Our new initiative will focus on river and marine sediment remediation. The project aims to identify strategic dredging operations to support the capacity of ports in the Odessa region, estimate the volumes, qualify sediments, and start valorization on the ground. This project can improve the economic capacity of ports and help Ukraine reconcile with the EU sediment and waste management standards," Gruyaert said.

Neo-Eco has similar projects in its portfolio, including Sedi materiau (production of composite materials from recycled sludge and plastic) and SNCF ECOCIR (track ballast valorization), he said. Some of the research was carried out in Region Sud Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azuri, France, which became the financial partner of the project in the Odessa region.

"The survey budget is 80,000 euros, including 30,000 euros allotted by Neo-Eco and 50,000 euros by Region Sud Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azuri. We are expecting to deliver the first results as early as in September 2024," Gruyaert said.

The French company Neo-Eco has been working by the circular economy principle, which integrates spent materials, for 17 years. Neo-Eco has implemented a project based on that principle in Gostomel, Kiev region. A White Paper on handling asbestos-containing materials (ACM), CES clean energy solution and iC consulenten Ukraine, authored by Neo-Eco Ukraine experts, was presented in January 2024.