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Ports are under growing pressure to deliver facilities that are more agile, efficient and sustainable. This applies not only to cargo handling and port estate management, but also to the planning, design and delivery of marine civil works and port infrastructure.

Ports and terminals are no longer just operators and asset managers. They are also developers, adapting infrastructure to meet changing market demands, make better use of space and respond to rising environmental and social expectations.

Whether expanding footprints, extending marine structures, retrofitting assets or changing use, these projects require careful planning and a clear understanding of the regulatory landscape. WSP helps clients navigate complexity and prepare the documentation needed to move forward with confidence.

 

Extensive maritime environmental services

 

Energy, GHG & Decarbonization

Ports and terminals are evolving to meet rising expectations for agility, operational efficiency and sustainability. From new terminals and expansions to marine civil works and changes of use, today’s developments must balance performance with responsible resource use, lower energy consumption and long-term resilience. WSP helps clients integrate sustainability into planning and delivery through practical, future-focused solutions that address climate risk, carbon, energy, ESG and regulatory requirements. With global experience across all major port and terminal typologies, our teams combine technical depth with local insight to support more sustainable, efficient and resilient infrastructure for the future.

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Air Quality

Air quality management in ports is shaped by complex regulatory requirements and growing expectations around environmental responsibility. Emissions can arise from vessels, machinery, vehicles, rail, buildings and plant, while their impact depends on local conditions such as meteorology and nearby communities. WSP helps ports and terminals build a robust evidence base through monitoring, emissions inventories and modelling to better understand impacts and define effective mitigation strategies. Our tailored services support regulatory compliance, reduce business risk and inform practical action across air quality, noise, odour, dust and oil pollution, helping clients protect operations, investments and surrounding environments. More on Air quality.

Climate Resilience

WSP helps port operators understand their increasing operational impacts related to exposure to climate risks such as sea level rise, storm surges, flooding, extreme heat and high winds, with potential impacts on operations, infrastructure, workforce safety and supply chains. We help ports respond with practical, data-driven adaptation strategies aligned with evolving regulatory, investor and disclosure requirements.

Our climate resilience services support informed decision-making across vulnerability assessment, flood risk, infrastructure adaptation, emergency planning and long-term investment prioritization. By combining climate science with engineering and operational insight, we help ports strengthen resilience, protect critical assets and remain safe, sustainable and commercially competitive in a changing climate.

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Environmental Management, Permitting, and Consent

WSP has specific expertise in the delivery of environmental consents and permits in technical content, and project management. We prepare and deliver Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (EISA), Sustainability Appraisals, Strategic Environmental Assessments, and the evidence required to accompany applications for discrete development through to entire projects.

Our service covers tidal works and marine licensing, permitted development, landside planning permission and sustainable development initiatives. We are well prepared to tackle new and enhanced technical elements required under the amended ESIA Directive 2014/52/EU, such as health impact and climate change resilience in design.

Our consenting, permitting, and ESIA experience embraces all stages of the project lifecycle from feasibility studies, analysis of options through to detailed design. Our role is often practical, supporting larger engineering contracts by reviewing, and supervising the ongoing civil works and monitoring activities being carried out by contractors.

Discharging consents, reviewing Environmental Management Plans and troubleshooting issues such as light, noise and vibration, air quality, waste management, and handling hazardous materials through to ecology and archaeology fall within our wide range of specializations.

Ground risk and remediation

WSP has an innovative, dedicated team of contaminated land and remediation specialists. One of our key strengths is our ability to both design and implement brownfield solutions, bringing commercial simplicity, speed and practical knowledge to our projects. We work hard at solving some of the world’s largest ground risk challenges and continue to deliver landmark projects internationally.

We can support your site characterizations, site diagnostics, and provide suitable remediation design. We have extensive experience in emerging risk areas such as asbestos in soils, persistent organic pollutants, and the impacts of long-term water table changes.

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Maritime environmental projects

 

Maritime environmental insights

 

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April 2021 | 5 minutes

Shoreline Restoration: ‘Protecting Community, Conserving the Coast’
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April 2024

Sustainable Coastal Infrastructure: Building Resilience Through Integrated Adaptive Design
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June 2020 | 6:15 minutes

Resilience Project Protects Virginia Coastal Community Against Extreme Weather
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Frequently asked questions

What maritime environmental services does WSP provide?

WSP delivers a comprehensive range of maritime environmental services, including environmental management, permitting and consent, sustainability and decarbonization strategies, climate change risk solutions, and ground risk and remediation. Our services support ports, terminals, and marine infrastructure projects across planning, design, construction, and operations.

How does WSP help ports and terminals meet environmental and regulatory requirements?

WSP guides clients through complex legislative and regulatory frameworks by preparing and managing Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), Sustainability Appraisals, Strategic Environmental Assessments, and marine licensing applications. We support compliance at local, national, and international levels while keeping projects on schedule and aligned with operational objectives.

How does WSP support sustainability and decarbonization in maritime projects?

WSP integrates energy efficiency, greenhouse gas reduction, and climate resilience into the planning and delivery of ports and marine infrastructure. Our expertise spans container terminals, bulk and liquid facilities, LNG and Ro-Ro terminals, cruise ports, naval bases, and industrial port estates—helping clients future-proof assets while meeting sustainability and ESG expectations.

What experience does WSP have with environmental permitting and marine consents?

WSP has extensive experience securing permits and consents for tidal works, marine licensing, landside planning permissions, and sustainable development initiatives. Our teams manage the full lifecycle of consenting—from feasibility and options analysis through to construction monitoring—while addressing emerging requirements such as climate resilience, health impacts, and cumulative environmental effects.

How does WSP address ground risk and contamination in port and marine environments?

WSP’s ground risk and remediation specialists support site characterization, contaminated land assessment, and remediation design for brownfield and waterfront sites. We bring practical, implementable solutions to complex challenges such as asbestos in soils, persistent organic pollutants, and groundwater variability—helping clients safely redevelop and operate marine assets.

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