News

Countdown to #IAPH2025: Returning to IAPH’s roots

October 03, 2025

70 years after itsofficial founding, the stage is set for IAPH to return to the city where the associations’ storybegan: Kobe, the site of the first International Port & Harbor Conference. Located between the Rokko mountain range and the Seto inland sea, thishistorical port cityhas been embracing foreign cultures since the 9th century, giving the city a unique international flavor. Kobe has been a major international trading port since 1868 and boasts an eclectic mix of Japanese and late 19th

World Maritime News (110)

October 01, 2025

Expect higher trade costs, slower growth and more volatility, says UNCTAD The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) warns that the maritime shipping industry is entering a period of high volatility, rising costs, and slower growth due to geopolitical tensions, trade policy uncertainty, and fragile supply chains. Seaborne trade growth is expected to slow to just 0.5% in 2025, with a modest 2% annual growth projected through 2030. Geopolitical instability is causing longer shipping rout

WCO, WSC and IAPH spur discussions on how to better safeguard maritime supply chains from criminal threats

September 25, 2025

Around two-thirds of 2,600 drug seizures in maritime shipping containers across 2023 and 2024 were found to have some level of internal conspirator support somewhere in the supply chain. That is the standout fact from WCO’s Report on infiltration of maritime cargo supply chains that set the stage for the Global Conference on ‘a collective response to safeguarding maritime supply chains from criminal threats’, held at the WCO in Brussels. To identify innovative mitigation strategies to this pe

Welcome! Oceanic C&T Co., Ltd from the Republic of Korea

September 19, 2025

We are pleased to announce that Oceanic C&T Co., Ltd has joined the IAPH as an associate member. The company specializes in marine environment impact assessment, restoration, and numerical simulation, as well as coastal and offshore engineering design and consulting. It also develops and supplies innovative marine construction materials, monitoring systems, and safety management solutions. For more information, please visit the following website. http://www.oceaniccnt.com/

Welcome! Kavala Port Authority S.A. from Greece

September 19, 2025

We are pleased to announce that The Kavala Port Authority S.A. has joined the IAPH as a regular member. The company is responsible for the management of the four ports in the broader region of Kavala, East Macedonia, as follows: Passenger port, APOSTOLOS PAVLOS Commercial port, Filippos B’ Port of Keramoti Port of Eleftheres Four ports with separate roles, but one goal: to make the port system of Kavala an important junction of maritime transports in the wider region, giving specia

London announced as venue of #IAPH2026 conference

September 19, 2025

Next year’s IAPH World Ports Conference will be held in London, on 3-5 November. After memorable editions in 1965 and 1997, IAPH is delighted to return to the UK capital in 2026, the 'gap year' of London International Shipping Week. Next year's event promises to be a true milestone in the history of the conference – as the1965 editionsymbolised the global coming of age of IAPH, the 2026 edition will aim toset a new benchmark in showcasing how ports worldwide are transforming to meet the challeng

IAPH signs MoU with Sohar Port and Freezone

September 19, 2025

On 16 September, IAPH signed a Memorandum of Understanding with one of its members,Sohar Port and Freezone, marking a significant step forward in a strategic partnership aimed at deepening collaboration across global port sustainability, digital innovation, regulatory engagement and maritime excellence. The MoU was signed by Patrick Verhoeven, managing director of IAPH and by Emile Hoogsteden, CEO of Sohar Port and Freezone, at the conclusion of the Sohar Maritime Excellence Showcase – a special

Updated cooperation guidelines from WCO and IAPH

September 19, 2025

IAPH and World Customs Organisation (WCO) have jointly relaunched theirguidelines, which have been written for ports and their national customs authorities to usetogether in order to improve trade fluidity and security. The guidelinesfollow inputs made by the World Shipping Council (WSC), which emphasise the importance of timely, accurate ship-shore data exchange, and the adoption of Single Window Environments to simplify and harmonise data submission toenhance security and compliance. The guide

#IAPH2025: Asian Development Bank president to speak

September 19, 2025

IAPH is pleased to announce that Masato Kanda, president of the Asian Development Bank, will make the opening address in plenary on 7 October, day oneof the#IAPH2025 World Ports Conference. He previously served as special advisor to Japan’s prime minister and minister of finance, and as vice-minister of finance for International Affairs. Masato Kanda was appointed ADB president earlier this year and will returnto Kobe to make his debut speech in his home country. The Asian Development Bank is al

#IAPH2025: Full agenda for Kobe TC Day available

September 19, 2025

On 6 October, the day prior to its World Ports Conference in Kobe, Japan, IAPH will be holding a series of in-person thematic working sessions of its technical committees, addressing key topics of interest – and the full agenda for the event is now available! The sessions will be held atHotel Ōkuraand all interested regular and associate members are encouraged to register their attendance by completing theregistration form, which now includes the full event agenda. If you are a regular or associ

#IAPH2025: conference app available for delegates

September 19, 2025

The official app for the 2025 IAPH World Ports Conference is now available for all attendees. It has a number of useful features, allowing users to see the full agenda of the three days, including social events and port tours. Delegates can network with fellow attendees and message them, as well as finding out more about the event sponsors and what they have in store at their stands at #IAPH2025. The app will contain a personal QR code for each delegate, which can be used to speed up the badge c

OPS working group sets the agenda in Le Havre

September 19, 2025

The IAPH Onshore Power Supply (OPS) working group is meeting in Le Havre this week (17-18 September) to track progress on OPS implementation and discuss its work program for the following period. Apart from its continued focus on exchanging practices between ports that are advanced in their OPS implementation journey, identifying and tracking remaining challenges, the group is establishing a second work pillar on guidance and dissemination to address the needs of ports that are at starting or ea