This edition of IAPH Insider covers:
- ESI nominated for Green4Sea Sustainability Award
- IAPH Clean Marine Fuels work presented to IMO
- WPCAP ports take new series of climate change actions
- Main outcomes of IAPH Climate and Energy Committee
- IAPH Data and Risk Committees on 24 and 25 February
- Join our ‘get to know IMO’ sessions
- New World Ports Conference webinar series started
- IMO and WISTA survey on women in maritime
- IAPH Women’s Forum brainstorm on 3 March
- Board adopts 2021 budget and membership strategy
- Major turnout at our Central and South America webinar
- Sneak preview of results February COVID-19 barometer
- Six weeks to submit your projects for the 2021 Awards
- Member Port News
- World Maritime News
- Calendar of Events
ESI nominated for Green4Sea Sustainability Award
The maritime environmental portal Green4Sea has nominated IAPH for its 2021 Sustainability Award. We have been shortlisted for the Environmental Ship Index, which for ten years has been providing port authorities and other incentive providers with a solid basis to reward green ships. The other shortlisted organisations are ABS, the Getting to Zero Coalition, Green Fuels Research and Rightship. The winner will be selected through online voting and will be announced during the Green4Sea Awards ceremony, which will be held virtually on 14 April. We call upon all our readers to vote for us here. Don’t hesitate to encourage all your friends and colleagues to do the same. Online voting is possible until 15 March. We count on your support!
IAPH Clean Marine Fuels work presented to IMO
Technological innovation and the global introduction of alternative fuels and other energy sources for international shipping will be integral to achieve the ambition set out in the Initial IMO Strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships. To take stock of ongoing initiatives, the IMO virtually held a symposium last week on alternative low-carbon and zero-carbon fuels for shipping.The Chair of the IAPH Clean Marine Fuels working group, Peter Alkema (Port of Amsterdam), joined the symposium which presented state-of-the art research and innovation, discussed the advancement of alternative low-carbon and zero-carbon fuels in international shipping, and looked at initiatives to promote the availability, affordability and uptake of future marine fuels. You can watch the session in which Peter participated below. The complete sessions as well as all presentations can be downloaded from the IMO website.
WPCAP ports take new series of climate change actions
CEOs of the twelve ports that constitute the World Ports Climate Action Program (WPCAP) met during a virtual conference on 2 February. The session was hosted by Port of Rotterdam CEO Allard Castelein. Delegates of five working groups presented deliverables and a series of new actions for 2021. These include measures on enhanced energy efficiency, power-to-ship, incentives for green shipping, bunkering of alternative fuels and cargo handling equipment. In September 2018, WPCAP was launched at a global climate conference in San Francisco. Ports that have joined the network include Antwerp, Barcelona, Gothenburg, Hamburg, HAROPA port of Le Havre, Long Beach, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Rotterdam, Valencia, Vancouver, and Yokohama. IAPH supports WPCAP by disseminating results of the working groups through its World Ports Sustainability Program platform. The next WPCAP CEO conference is planned for October this year.
Main outcomes of IAPH Climate and Energy Committee
The IAPH Climate and Energy Committee met on 9 February under the leadership of Chair Peter Mollema (Port of Rotterdam) and Vice-Chair Edvard Molitor (Port of Gothenburg). Principal focus of the meeting was the implementation of the IMO greenhouse gas strategy for shipping and the role of ports therein. Members discussed the new technical and operational measures adopted at the last IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 75) and how these could eventually be integrated in the Environmental Ship Index (ESI). The Committee also addressed the value-added of market-based measures for ports and decided to hold a dedicated workshop on this topic in March. Members further agreed to enable good communication between various port-initiated global initiatives such as WPCAP that address decarbonisation of shipping, avoiding duplication and disseminating expertise through the platform of the World Ports Sustainability Program. The summary report of the meeting with all action points will be distributed to members of the Committee soon. If you are interested to join the work of the Climate and Energy Committee, please contact Junichi Takemura at: [email protected]
IAPH Data and Risk Committees on 24 and 25 February
The IAPH Data Collaboration and Risk and Resilience Committees are meeting on 24 and 25 February, respectively. The Data Collaboration Committee will discuss the follow-up of the FAL implementation report that IAPH published last month. Follow-up actions include a submission to the forthcoming meeting of the IMO Facilitation Committee (FAL 45) in June and the identification of indicators to track progress with digitalisation in the port sector that will be part of a wider sustainability dashboard. Prominent on the agenda as well is cybersecurity and the plan to produce a series of guidelines on port and port facility cybersecurity this summer, similar to the guidelines BIMCO produced for cybersecurity onboard ships. The Risk and Resilience Committee will concentrate on the implementation of its roadmap on business continuity policy and risk preparedness, including the preparation of a survey and a set of generic guidelines. Members of both Committees will be receiving the meeting agenda and documentation this week. In case you wish to join one of our Technical Committees, please contact Junichi Takemura at: [email protected].
Join our ‘get to know IMO’ sessions
During the first round of Technical Committee meetings held last November, several members asked whether it would be possible for us to arrange an information session to become more familiar with the working of IMO. The IMO Secretariat has kindly agreed to support us in organising this and we are offering two sessions to allow members in different time zones to attend. The first will be held on 2 March at 11 AM CET and the second on 14 April at 3.30 PM CET. Members of the Technical Committees already received notification and will be obtaining the meeting links soon. If you are an IAPH member and interested to join one of the sessions, don’t hesitate to let Junichi Takemura know at : [email protected].
New World Ports Conference webinar series started
The first World Ports Conference webinar of the year was successfully concluded yesterday. Moderated by Eric Johnson, Technology Editor at JOC, Pascal Ollivier, Chair of the IAPH Data Collaboration Committee discussed the scope for greater data collaboration in the ship-shore interface with Henning Schleyerbach, COO at the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) and Julian Abril, Head of Facilitation at IMO. Nearly 700 participants registered for the event, which you can still watch on demand. Our next webinar will be held 18 March and will discuss how diversity in the workforce can stimulate innovation in the port sector. Speakers include Despina Theodosiou, President of WISTA International (Women’s International Shipping and Trade Association) and Flor Pitty, Chair of the IAPH Women’s Forum. The full programme will be available from the World Ports Conference website soon. Two more webinars will be scheduled in April and May, running up to the World Ports Conference itself. Registration for the conference will open on Wednesday 24 February. You can already discover the programme outline on the conference website now, where you can also sign up for updates.
IMO and WISTA survey on women in maritime
The IMO and WISTA International have launched a joined survey to examine the proportion and distribution of women working in the maritime sector, from support roles to executive level positions. The purpose is to obtain baseline data on the number of women in maritime and the positions they occupy. The plan is to repeat the survey every three years. The survey is part of a series of activities aimed at laying the groundwork for further discussions on how to build a more diverse workforce within the maritime sector, essential for a sustainable future. The data obtained by the survey will help build a picture of diversity and gender equality in the industry. The launch of the study follows the 2020 signing of an MoU between IMO and WISTA on promoting greater diversity and inclusion through enhanced cooperation activities in the maritime sector. The IMO-WISTA survey can be completed by IMO member states, inter-governmental organisations, NGOs, public and private companies in the maritime sector and maritime training establishments. You can access the survey for NGOs and companies through this link. We warmly encourage you to participate. The deadline for completion of the survey is 30 June 2021.
IAPH Women’s Forum brainstorm on 3 March
Members of the IAPH Women’s Forum are invited to note 3 March in their diaries for an online brainstorm session on the future agenda of the Forum. Led by its new Chair, Flor Pitty, Director-General of Ports and Ancillary Services at Panama Maritime Authority, the session will take stock of present initiatives, including the scholarship programme and the mentoring pilot project. Forum members will be invited to discuss new initiatives, including closer collaboration with other international and regional networks, including WISTA. The meeting is scheduled to be held at 12.00 PM CET. Members of the Forum will be receiving the meeting invitation and agenda shortly.
Board adopts 2021 budget and membership strategy
The IAPH Board met online on 8 February. Board members adopted the budget proposal for 2021, the first following the new configuration of staff and other resources decided last year and the integration of the Environmental Ship Index. A preliminary report on the ESI operation was discussed. Board members also considered a strategy to grow the IAPH membership over the next years. This will now be translated in a concrete action plan, with regional targets. The Board further adopted the arrangements for the 2021 World Ports Conference and Annual General Meeting. The latter will be held through correspondence. The Board will meet again in April, at a date still to be confirmed.
The approved budget 2021 is posted in the “Library” (password-protected Members Area of the IAPH website) https://www.iaphworldports.org/members/library
Major turnout at our Central and South America webinar
Nearly 300 participants from the Central and South American port sector joined the latest IAPH regional webinar, which was held 11 February in partnership with the Inter-American Committee on Ports of the Organisation of American States. The webinar focused on implementing port community systems, a proactive approach to port business continuity and planning an effective port community outreach programme. Presentations from Patrick Verhoeven, IAPH Managing Director, Dwaine Powell, Director Port Community System at the Port Authority of Jamaica, Tessa Major, Director International Business and Innovation at Port of Açu and IAPH Regional Vice-President (photo) and Monica del Rosario Arias Moreno, Advisor to the President at the National Port Authority of Peru were followed by a discussion with the audience, moderated by Jorge Duran, Chief of the CIP/OAS Secretariat. Concluding the session, IAPH President Santiago Garcia Milà was delighted to address all Hispanic-speaking colleagues, reiterating the excellent work of CIP/OAS in bringing the Latin American and Caribbean port communities together virtually for this event. If you missed the webinar, you can revisit it on demand through this link.
Sneak preview of results February COVID-19 barometer
The latest survey of our COVID-19 Port Economic Impact Barometer was carried out last week. The report shows that the container vessel call situation improved much compared to end December, when the last report was published. In terms of hinterland transport, the situation seems to worsen, with more ports reporting delays. As far as warehousing is concerned, there overall appears more underutilisation and less capacity shortages for consumer goods and foodstuffs, so the import shock seems to have been digested to some extent. Staff availability remains under control. Next to the four familiar indicators, the February survey also asked ports about the crew change crisis, a question we also asked in July last year. There appears to be a small improvement compared to then, but it is still remarkable that over 40% of the responding ports do not appear to be involved in the crew change process at all and cannot report any information. The latest dashboard is pictured below. The full barometer report will be available this Friday from the World Ports Sustainability Program website.
Six weeks to submit your projects for the 2021 Awards
We call upon all IAPH member ports to submit their projects for the 2021 edition of the World Ports Sustainability Awards. The competition aims to reward best practices and encourage ports to share their projects through the online portfolio of the World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP). The project entries for the awards must correspond to one of the five WPSP themes. Projects can be submitted by filling out the template form on the WPSP website. You can also view a short video explainer from our Technical Director Antonis Michail on how to apply. We welcome entries between now and 31 March. As in previous years, projects will be assessed by a professional jury and the shortlist will be put to a public vote. Winners will be announced at the #IAPH2021 World Ports Conference, in Antwerp next June. If you would like to (re)visit the online announcement of this year’s winners, please click here
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: Autoridad Portuaria de Huelva, Autoridad Portuaria de Bilbao, Port of Rotterdam Authority, Authority for Transport in Malta, Autoridad Portuaria de Valencia, GIE HAROPA (Harbours of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris), Hamburg Port Authority, Cyprus Ports Authority, Grand Port Maritime de Marseille, Port Authority of Genoa, Port Autonome d’ Abidjan, Port Autonome de San Pedro, Ports of Cabo Verde, Baku International Sea Trade Port, Port Authority of Douala, Oslo Port Authority, Port of Amsterdam, Autoridad Portuaria de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, North Sea Port, Port of Gdansk Authority, Autoridad Portuaria de la Bahìa de Algeciras, Sierra Leone Ports Authority
- America region: Porto do Açu, Port of San Diego, Port of Los Angeles, Port of Seattle, Panama Maritime Authority, National Port Administration (Uruguay)
- Asia and Oceania region: Gladstone Ports Corporation, Maldives Ports, Port of Hualien, Port of Kaohsiung, Port of Taichung, Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) Iran, Abu Dhabi Ports, Guangzhou Port Authority, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Marine Department Hong Kong SAR, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority, Westports Malaysia, Indonesia Port Corporation II, South Port New Zealand, Port Nelson
World Maritime News
These maritime news stories made the headlines over the past two weeks:
- Global container trade volume 2020
- Several European ports unite in two giant merger
- LA-LB congestion to clear by late spring
- Container spot rates
- Maersk posts U$ 2.9 billion 2020 profit, expects even stronger 2021
- Disagreement on ship prices stalls newbuilding market
- Euronav aims to have newbuild suezmax pair ammonia-ready
- ONE eyes biofuels as decarbonisation pathway
Calendar of Events
IAPH events and events where IAPH is represented
- 22 Febuary-14 April 2021 – APEC C-MAT IAPH Strategy Course
- 23 February – MedCruise/MEDPorts webinar
- 24 February – IAPH Data Collaboration Committee (7 AM CET)
- 25 February – IAPH Risk and Resilience Committee (11 AM CET)
- 2 March – IAPH ‘Get to know IMO’ session (11 AM CET)
- 4 March – Indonesia Ocean Expo 2021
- 18 March – IAPH World Ports Conference webinar
- 25 March – IAPH regional webinar West and Central Africa
- 30 March – International Maritime Law Institute law of ports course
- 14 April – IAPH ‘Get to know IMO’ session (3.30 PM CET)
- 15 April – IAPH Climate and Energy Committee (4 PM CET)
- 22 April – IAPH Risk and Resilience Committee (4 PM CET)
- 28 April – IAPH Data Collaboration Committee (4 PM CET)
- 5-7 May – World Conference Transport Research Siga2
- 5-14 May – IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 103)
- 24-28 May – IMO GHG Intersessional (ISWG-GHG 8)
- 1-7 June – IMO Facilitation Committee (FAL 45)
- 14-18 June – IMO Marine Environment Protection C. (MEPC 76)
- 21-25 June – Antwerp – 2021 IAPH World Ports Conference