From 6–10 July 2026, the global transport research community gathers for one of the most important international events in the field: the 17th World Conference on Transport Research (WCTR 2026), held at Université Toulouse Capitole in Toulouse, France. Two CirclesOfLife related presentations are provided: one on the development of the Shipyard Environmental Performance Index by Prof Jeroen Pruyn (TU Delft), and one on the research into valuable opportunities for sustainable ship recycling by Nayab Ali, PhD researcher at the University of Genoa, both consortium partners of CirclesOfLife. Nayab Ali reports.
This edition of the conference was particularly special as it celebrated the 50th anniversary of the World Conference on Transport Research Society (WCTRS).
The World Conference on Transport Research (WCTR) takes place once every three years and provides a unique international platform for researchers, policymakers, educators, industry professionals, and transport experts to exchange knowledge and discuss the latest developments in transport research.
Through its Special Interest Groups, the Society promotes multidisciplinary collaboration while helping to bridge the gap between research, policy, and industry. This year’s conference welcomes around 1,500 participants from across the world, including professors, researchers, students, policymakers, and internationally recognised experts such as Prof Jean Tirole (Nobel Laureate in Economics) and Prof Moshe Ben-Akiva (MIT). The programme includes keynote speeches, scientific sessions, poster presentations, technical visits, industrial insight sessions, and networking activities, creating an excellent environment for learning, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas.
Green Maritime Session
The Special interest group ports and maritime (SiG A2), on the second day of the conference, brings the presentation by Jeroen Pruyn on the SEPI software tool development within CirclesOfLife. Later on taking part as a panel member he talks about the TransportNET – research and high-level education while closing of the day as chair for a number of interesting presentations on Decarbonisation.
The TransportNET Session, brings together researchers and experts to discuss current challenges, future priorities, and opportunities for collaboration in transport research. The session provides valuable insights into ongoing European research projects and demonstrates the importance of connecting academic research with industry needs and policy development. It is particularly inspiring to see the contributions of Alessio Tei, Claudio Ferrari, and Jeroen Pruyn, who share their expertise and perspectives through their discussions. The session also provides an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas with researchers from different countries and gain a broader understanding of future research directions.
Ship recycling: recovery of valuable materials
During the conference, I present my research paper entitled “End-of-Life Shipping with a Specific Focus on Ship Recycling: A Review”, completed under the supervision of Prof Alessio Tei as part of my PhD research at the ME4F Lab, University of Genoa.
The paper examines ship recycling as one of the most important stages of the maritime vessel lifecycle. While ship recycling enables the recovery of valuable materials such as steel, non-ferrous metals, and machinery, it also presents important environmental, safety, and regulatory challenges. The research compares ship recycling practices across different regions, highlighting differences in governance, industrial development, and environmental performance. It also explores how circular economy principles, industrial modernisation, and digital approaches can support safer, more efficient, and more sustainable ship recycling systems. The study proposes a circular maritime framework that links governance, industrial modernisation and circularity outcomes to support future policy and industry improvements.
CirclesOfLife sustainability and circularity
This research has been carried out within the framework of the CirclesOfLife project and contributes to the project’s objective of supporting more sustainable and circular practices in the maritime sector. Presenting this work at WCTR 2026 provides an excellent opportunity to receive valuable feedback from the international research community, discuss future research directions.
Beyond presenting my research, WCTR 2026 is an excellent opportunity to meet researchers from around the world, build new collaborations, and learn from a wide range of scientific discussions and industrial perspectives. Participating in one of the world’s leading transport research conferences was an important milestone and a valuable opportunity to represent the University of Genoa, the ME4F Lab, and the CirclesOfLife project on an international stage.
