IAPH Insider – 27 May 2021

 

This edition of IAPH Insider covers:

 

 

#IAPH2021: have a tailor-made experience!

With more than 50 sessions spread over five days and nearly 100 speakers confirmed, the World Ports Conference has a lot of content to offer, ranging from panel discussions with the world’s maritime industry leaders to practical, hands-on sessions with technical experts. You do not have to digest it all at once though. You can select the sessions where you want to interact live with speakers and join them at the time of their broadcast. You can watch other sessions at any moment convenient to you and the time zone where you are located. After their broadcast, all sessions remain available to watch on demand until a month after the conference. For a sneak preview of the programme, revisit our webinar broadcast of 19 May in which Jacques Vandermeiren (Port of Antwerp), Peter Tirschwell (IHS Markit) and Patrick Verhoeven (IAPH) discuss the highlights of each thematic stream with conference anchor Francesca Vanthielen. We’re heading towards 400 participants right now, check out who is already attending and book your ticket today. IAPH members continue to benefit from the special conference rate of 395 EUR, as compared to the full price of 535 EUR. Planning to attend with several colleagues? Contact our help desk!

 

 

 

 

#IAPH2021: welcoming the Transport Minister of Ethiopia

We are delighted to welcome H.E. Dagmawit Moges Bekele, Minister of Transport of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, at the 2021 World Ports Conference. The Minister will be discussing one of the major challenges facing Africa’s landlocked countries, which is cargo accessibility by road, rail and inland waterways. With Africa’s ports modernising and ready to ramp up trade to and from the continent, the session will address what it takes for ambitious intermodal infrastructure projects to move from the planning desk to reality. The Minister will be joined by Jan Hoffmann, Chief of the Trade Logistics Branch at UNCTAD, and the CEO of Tanger Med Port Authority. The session will be broadcast on 23 June, 02.25-02.55 PM CEST.

 

 

 

 

#IAPH2021: new resilience and innovation sessions

The World Ports Conference programme is continuously updated. This week, four new sessions have been added. On Monday 21 June (1.35-2.20 PM CEST) we will be discussing how dredging companies and tugowners are making nautical operations in ports cyber-proof. On Wednesday 23 June (11.50-12.20 PM CEST), there will be a presentation of the WeCAPS, a programme which aims to improve port security in West and Central Africa. On the same day (01.00-01.30 PM CEST), you can also find out all about how artificial intelligence can enable resilient, efficient and green supply chains as promoted through the ePIcenter project. On Thursday 24 June (3.20-3.50 PM CEST), the experts of Thetius, an innovation platform specialised in the maritime industry, will explain how small and medium-sized ports can leverage the best of new technology.  Check out the latest details on the conference website.

 

 

 

#IAPH2021: discover our regional sessions

IAPH has six membership regions, covering Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. Each region has a dedicated session at the World Ports Conference, focusing on a theme that is of particular interest to regional port communities. The series starts on Monday with Europe (11.00-11.45 AM CEST), exploring how regionalisation may shape future supply chains. On Tuesday, ports from Central and South America will be discussing how energy transition can provide new business opportunities (3.50-4.35 PM CEST). Wednesday, it is the turn of the South/West and East Asia region, with a session on the potential of terminal and cargo data sharing (11.00-11.45 AM CEST). On Thursday, we will be gathering African ports in the morning to discuss the impact of growing ship size. In the afternoon we join ports from the United States and Canada for perspectives on the North American cruise market (3.55-4.40 PM CEST). Finally, on Friday it is the turn of South-East Asia and Oceania for a debate on the post-pandemic resilience of ports (11.00-11.45 AM CEST). The IAPH Vice-Presidents will be joining their regional sessions, alongside senior port executives and experts.

 

 

 

#IAPH2021 Awards: 10,000 already voted, did you?

Our request for the general public to vote for the IAPH Sustainability Awards has been vindicated. We are delighted to see that about 10,000 people from all over the world have already selected their choice of winners for the seven IAPH Sustainability Awards – we thank them for taking the time to choose from our fantastic 21 finalists selected by the expert jury. You still have your chance to vote between now and midnight next Monday (31 May), so just visit our IAPH Sustainability Awards page, check out the great examples of how IAPH members and their partners apply the UN Sustainable Development Goals in practice, and cast your vote. The winners will be announced during the virtual awards ceremony of the World Ports Conference, which will be broadcast on 24 June, 5.10-5.30 PM CEST.

 

 

 

#IAPH2021: enjoy the Antwerp Harbour Life!

It is not because the 2021 World Ports Conference is a virtual event, that you will not be able to experience the unique atmosphere of the city and port of Antwerp, the conference host sponsor. Join IAPH’s Patrick Verhoeven every day at 12.45 PM CEST for ‘Harbour Life’, where he will interview some of the best local guides who will show you the real Antwerp harbour vibe through their eyes. 

 

 

 

 

#IAPH2021: #ShoutOutForSeafarers on 25 June!

The International Chamber of Shipping, along with industry and social partners, is calling for ships in ports around the world to sound their horns at 12 noon local time on 25 June, in honour of the International Maritime Organization’s ‘Day of the Seafarer’, to remind the world of the urgent need to vaccinate all seafarers. Deadly second waves in India and other countries are seeing a return to travel bans for seafarers and access to vaccinations is also a pressing issue; over half the international seafarer workforce is from developing nations that have limited vaccine supplies. The Day of the Seafarer coincides with the last day of the World Ports Conference and we are calling upon all IAPH member ports to allow ships to sound their horns and to support national shipowners’ associations to hold #ShoutOutForSeafarers press events on the day, providing active support to the campaign. We are also encouraging ports to allow a press team to film and conduct interviews ahead of the Day of the Seafarer for a piece on the pandemic and its impact on the supply chain. For ports that are interested in supporting the #ShoutOutForSeafarers campaign or for the press interview opportunity, please get in touch with [email protected]. The video below provides more information.

 

 

 

 

#IAPH2021: AGM held by correspondence

Because the World Ports Conference is held virtually this year, Secretary General Masahiko Furuichi has called for the 2021 Annual General Meeting to be held by correspondence for 10 June in an email circular sent to all regular and honorary members last week. The circular invites the members to endorse the process and result of the election of the IAPH President and Vice-Presidents for the period 2021-2023. It further asks members to endorse candidates for new Honorary Members, as proposed by the IAPH Board. All regular and honorary members should communicate their position by returning the voting form that was enclosed with the above-mentioned circular. No reply means your position will automatically entered as affirmative, in accordance with Article 63 of the IAPH Constitution. If you have not received the email circular of 20 May, please contact us at [email protected]

 

 

#IAPH2021: have you considered sponsoring?

The 2021 IAPH World Ports Conference offers a wide range of sponsorship opportunities to both regular and associate members of IAPH. Sponsorship places your organisation in a position of authority and enables you to build and strengthen your relationships and increase visibility to global stakeholders including shipowners, ports, logistics providers, local communities, regulators, equipment providers and related third parties. Sponsors benefit from the extensive range of marketing and public relations carried out before, during and after the event, all incorporating your organisation’s brand and underlining your expertise and leadership through this global port summit. Thanks to its innovative online configuration, the World Ports Conference will help your organisation generate new business leads and build on existing ones with direct access to established industry leaders and emerging personnel. Want to find out more? Get in touch with the IHS Markit sponsorship team.

 

 

IAPH Barometer: one year of COVID-19 monitoring

We are proud to publish the IAPH-WPSP Port Economic Impact Barometer One Year Report. This survey-based analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on ports in the period April 2020 to April 2021 is the only report of its kind to truly reflect what has actually happened at these global cargo and passenger maritime hubs since the global outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020. Commencing as an initial weekly report made external following its presentation and discussion on indicative trends at the regularly convened IAPH-WPSP COVID-19 Taskforce, the Port Economic Impact Barometer report was released seventeen times including this edition by co-authors Professors Theo Notteboom and Thanos Pallis, with concrete answers provided by world ports each time to a number of key indicators being analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. From July 2020 onwards, one extra question was added to each edition up until this report on a variety of key issues, some of which were repeated more than once to benefit from comparisons over time. In addition, when appropriate, the authors conducted regional analyses of the data for each of the subjects, with results shared in this one-year report. The IAPH Risk and Resilience Technical Committee was formed out of the initial COVID-19 Taskforce and has set itself the target of developing a global port tracker which will allow IAPH member ports to gauge their level of resilience to future crises as well as providing the rest of the maritime industry with leading indicators on two key port measurements – efficiency and ability to maintain their licence and ability operate when the next crisis hits.

 

 

 

IMO MSC 103 welcomes IAPH work on cybersecurity

The 103rd session of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 103) took place virtually from 5 to 14 May and began with the election of Mayte Medina (United States) and Theofilos Mozas (Greece) as the new Chair and Vice-Chair of the committee. The meeting was attended by IAPH’s newly appointed IMO Liaison Officer Rhona Macdonald who was joined by Antonis Michail, Pascal Ollivier and Frans Van Zoelen for parts of the meetings. MSC 103 noted with appreciation and welcomed the IAPH submission on cybersecurity, informing the committee of the ongoing work to develop Cybersecurity Guidelines for Ports and Port Facilities and to submit these for consideration by the 104th session of MSC this autumn. The Committee noted that when considering the potential endorsement of the Guidelines by MSC, legal implications would need to be carefully considered in line with the IMO scope of work and mandate. MSC 103 also discussed the impact of COVID-19, adopting a resolution with recommended action to prioritise vaccination of seafarers. The resolution calls for Member States and relevant authorities to prioritise their own seafarers and, where possible, those of other nationalities in their national COVID-19 vaccination programmes, and to consider exempting seafarers from any national policy requiring proof of vaccination as a condition for entry.

 

 

Yokohama most efficient container port, says new index

Despite the critical role played by ports in the global supply chains, there has not been any comprehensible, reliable, and consistent reference material to compare operational performance of different container ports in the world. The Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) that was recently developed by the World Bank and IHS Markit is changing just that. CPPI is a comparable index of global container port performance intended to serve as a reference point for key stakeholders in the global economy, including national governments, port authorities, development agencies, supra-national organisations and private operators of trade, logistics and supply chain services. The first CPPI report, which was presented earlier this month in the presence of IAPH, ranks some 350 container ports in the world, based on analyses employing two different methodological approaches: an ‘administrative’ approach, using a pragmatic methodology reflecting expert knowledge and judgment and a ‘statistical’ approach, using factor analysis. Topping the list is the Port of Yokohama, Japan, followed by King Abdullah Port, Saudi Arabia and the port of Qingdao, China. Algeciras in Spain is the highest ranked European port, in 10th place. Colombo in Sri Lanka is the top-ranked port in South Asia at 17th place and Mexico’s Lazaro Cardenas leads the Americas at number 25. Canada’s Halifax is the only other North American port in the Top 50. Djibouti, in 61st place, is the top-ranked African port. IHS Markit is our media and events partner, and the World Bank is one of our structural partners with whom we are conducting joint projects, most recently on acceleration of digitalisation. You can download a complimentary copy of the report from the IHS Markit website.

 

 

Your opinion: is vessel size expansion sustainable?

The grounding of the Ever Given in the Suez Canal in March has on one side resulted in delays and backlogs in port callings, but it has also served as a reminder of how much container ships have grown. This has sparked a discussion if the size of those ultra large vessels has outgrown the infrastructure of ports, but also of the wider maritime assets such as transit canals. Ports are trying to catch up with those 20,000+ TEU vessels as most expansion projects have been initiated as navigation channels and berths are incapable of servicing them. While these projects provide work for the civil and marine engineering industries, they raise concerns in ports: how safe is this expansion when a single incident is capable bringing world trade to a brief halt? We invite you to have your say and answer our next Ports & Harbors poll question: considering the impact on ports and infrastructure, is further container vessel size expansion sustainable? Please provide your answer here.

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget to join today’s IAPH workshop on MBMs

Today at 4-6 PM CEST we will be holding a workshop about the ports’ perspective on so-called ‘market-based measures’ (MBMs) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. A market-based measure can be described as a rule or legal framework that encourages a desired behaviour through financial incentives. In this case, the shipping industry should be encouraged to use low carbon or zero carbon fuels to limit CO2 emissions. The workshop is open to IAPH member ports and associate members and is primarily meant to be of an informative nature, presenting the available MBM options, their effectiveness, pros and cons and success factors. Participants will be invited to reflect on the ports’ perspective and identify interest, criteria, and potential red lines for ports. This is the start of a process to discuss and better define the role and positioning of IAPH in the forthcoming discussions on MBMs at the International Maritime Organization. Well-known academic experts Dr Tristan Smith (University College London) and Dr Harilaos Psaraftis (Technical University of Denmark) will be setting the scene, sharing valuable insights on ongoing MBM developments, and respective considerations for ports. The workshop will be held in MS Teams while also using interactive elements such as polls to increase the level of engagement in the discussion. The workshop is primarily addressed to the members of the IAPH Climate and Energy Committee, who already received a ‘save the date’ invitation, but we equally welcome all other IAPH members that have an interest in the topic. If you wish to attend, please let our colleague Junichi Takemura know: [email protected]

 

 

IAPH to attend launch Global Hydrogen Ports Coalition

As part of governments’ efforts to reduce emissions from the energy sector, the world has in recent years seen an increased interest in low-carbon hydrogen as a clean fuel and feedstock. Hydrogen is seen as a versatile resource that can be stored and used over time and is considered one of the most promising solutions for sectors where emissions are particularly hard to abate, such as the transport and heavy industry sectors. The increasing number of national hydrogen strategies across the world and the inclusion of hydrogen in governments’ economic recovery plans are examples of the current momentum of hydrogen technologies. At the 10th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM10) meeting in Vancouver, 2019, the CEM members launched a Hydrogen initiative (H2I) dedicated to support the scale-up of clean hydrogen in the economy. As part of the initiative’s efforts, the members expressed a wish to further engage in activities with representatives from ports and coastal industrial clusters. From the discussion sprung the idea of establishing a Global Hydrogen Ports Coalition. Ports and coastal industrial clusters are seen by experts as a cornerstone for the adoption of hydrogen technologies and the necessary backbone infrastructure for hydrogen transport and trade. Ports and coastal areas can help build an integrated approach for the energy system, that would both decarbonise and ensuring energy security at system level. The adoption of hydrogen technologies is also vital for the maritime sector and ports in their plans to reduce emissions. The Coalition will build upon already existing dialogues about the potential for adopting hydrogen in ports operation, including IAPH, the World Ports Climate Action Program (WPCAP) and the Hydrogen Council. The Coalition will be officially launched on 1 June during the virtual Clean Energy Ministerial which is held from 31 May to 6 June. IAPH Managing Director ‐ Policy and Strategy, Patrick Verhoeven will be joining chief executives of the ports of Auckland, Duqm, Houston, Pecém and Rotterdam, discussing the future of hydrogen in ports and coastal industrial clusters as well as opportunities for mobilising efforts together to scale up hydrogen. For more information, visit the CEM website

 

 

IAPH presents at Barcelona decarbonisation event

Today, IAPH Technical Director Antonis Michail will be joining a virtual session, organised by Smart Ports: Piers of the Future, focusing on the decarbonisation of the Port of Barcelona and its pathway to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Antonis will be presenting and discussing some of the ongoing IAPH work and initiatives to address the decarbonisation of ports while focussing on how ports can facilitate GHG emission reduction from ships. The panel discussion will be moderated by Peter De Largen of Ports & Logistics Advisory, and Antonis will be joined by Mercè Rius, General Director of Environmental Quality & Climate Change of the Government of Catalonia, Ares Gabàs, Head of the Urban Resilience Department of Barcelona City Council, and Jordi Torrent, Strategy Director of the Port of Barcelona. The session is part of a full day event hosted by Tomorrow.City digital cross-media content platform for cities. Registration is free of charge.

 

 

IMO free workshop resource on alternative fuels

The IMO-Norway GreenVoyage2050 Project has launched a free-to-access ‘Alternative Fuels and Energy Carriers for Maritime Shipping’ workshop package to help users identify key next steps to explore when considering the uptake of new low- and zero-carbon fuels. The workshop, which can be downloaded via the GreenVoyage2050 website, tackles key concepts related to alternative fuels and provides detailed information on commercially available fuels (such as LNG and LPG), those still in the demonstration phase (methanol, biofuels, battery-power), and some that are under development (hydrogen and ammonia). For each individual fuel, the training considers the following factors: feedstocks and energy sources, production technologies, onshore and onboard requirements, environmental impact, cost overview, regulations and standards as well as barriers and risks. The workshop materials include a collection of slides, broken down into four sessions, as well as an example programme and other related practical resources. The training content has already been used at a series of online workshops which have involved participants from GreenVoyage2050 countries, including a recent workshop with participants from China. The IMO encourages organisations across the marine fuels sector to download the resources for educational purposes or to run the workshop themselves. IAPH is a partner in the GreenVoyage2050 project and will be organising a series of port-specific workshops on marine energy transition later this year.

 

 

A port in any storm … IAPH at salvage webinar

The publication International Tug & Salvage (ITS) is putting on a webinar on 17 June covering the debate as to whether ports should provide refuge to ships in distress and/or for salvage. The Chairman of the IAPH Legal Committee, Frans van Zoelen, will join a panel with Leendert Muller, Past-President and Executive Committee Member of the International Salvage Union (ISU). Frans is a renowned expert on the ‘places of refuge’ subject, having delivered expert opinions both at the international level of the IMO and the CMI, as well as for the European Union. The webinar is part of ITS Salvage Webinar Week and you can attend it free of charge by registering through this link.

 

 

Member Port News

In this edition’s round up of member port news, you will find stories from the following IAPH members:

  • Europe and Africa region: Port of Rotterdam Authority, Administração dos Portos de Sines e do Algarve, Autoridad Portuaria de la Bahìa de Algeciras, Autoridad Portuaria de Huelva, Nigerian Ports Authority, Port of Amsterdam, Autoridad Portuaria de Sevilla, Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company, Freeport of Riga Authority, GIE HAROPA (Harbours of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris), Hamburg Port Authority, North Sea Port, Port of Gdansk Authority, Oslo Port Authority, Ports of Cabo Verde, Autoridad Portuaria de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Port of Helsinki, Autoridad Portuaria de Bilbao, Autoridad Portuaria de Valencia, Autoridad Portuaria de la Bahìa de Algeciras, Cyprus Ports Authority, Port Autonome de Conakry, Port of Göteborg, Port of Bergen 
  • America Region: Halifax Port Authority, Port of Los Angeles, Port of Seattle, Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Corporation, Port of San Diego, Canaveral Port Authority, National Port Administration Uruguay, Port Authority of the Cayman Islands, Panama Maritime Authority, Porto do Açu, Georgia Ports Authority 
  • Asia and Oceania Region: Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Gladstone Ports Corporation Limited, Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Guangzhou Port Authority, Lyttelton Port Company, Busan Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries, Port Nelson, PSA International, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Incheon Port Authority, Port of Kaohsiung, Ports of Auckland, Busan Port Authority, Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority

 

World Maritime News

These maritime news stories made the headlines over the past two weeks: 

  • IEA Special Report: pathway to 2050 is narrow but brings huge benefits
  • Box rates stay high and container shortage continues until fourth quarter
  • Busy Asia-Europe trade waiting on ‘true’ recovery: forwarders
  • Maersk seeks a sustainable box shipping model
  • Japanese companies join green ammonia production study and shipping business
  • European shipping companies provide customers with support for decarbonisation
  • Shipping leaders disagree on future of LNG in shipping
  • China Unicom joins TradeLens platform

 

Calendar of Events

IAPH events and events where IAPH is represented

 

 

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