IAPH Insider- March 24, 2022

This edition of IAPH Insider covers:

This week’s Insider highlights with MD Patrick Verhoeven

 

Letter from the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority

The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) is the state-owned company that administers all ports in the Ukraine. We received a letter from USPA acting CEO Oleksandr Golodnytskyy in which he describes the horrific consequences of the war for Ukrainian people, calling upon us to inform all IAPH members about the scale of the human tragedy. He also asks us to support closure of ports to vessels flying the flag of the Russian Federation and/or owned by companies affiliated with the legal entities of the Russian Federation. You can read the letter at the end of the statement that we issued following the outbreak of the war. In that statement, we called upon governments and international institutions to ensure that measures to prevent Russian ships and/or cargoes from entering ports are aligned as far as practicable, both in the interest of their effectiveness and the equitable operational conditions for ports in the current difficult environment. Following bans introduced by the United Kingdom and Canada, Denmark and the Baltic countries have now proposed to ban Russian ships from entering the ports of the European Union, ahead of the meeting of the EU Defence and Foreign Affairs Council that is being held this Thursday and Friday in Brussels. We continue to exchange information daily with industry partners through the Ukraine Task Force set up by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). Members of the IAPH Risk and Resilience Committee will be kept updated as new developments arise.

 

IMO Council decisions on war in Ukraine

On 10 and 11 March, the IMO held an extraordinary Council meeting to discuss the safety and welfare of seafarers and the security of international shipping following the invasion of Ukraine. As members of the Ukraine Task Force run by the International Chamber of Shipping, IAPH, in conjunction with other industry bodies, co-sponsored a submission on the impact on seafarers, outlining a series of pragmatic and practical solutions to support workers during the conflict. Proposals included the establishment of humanitarian shipping corridors to enable ships to leave conflict zones in safety, as well as ensuring access to wages and to protect seafarers’ status as key workers to allow for unrestricted movement. These proposals were acknowledged and welcomed by the Council and were reflected in the summary of decisions. Following this, as an urgent measure, the Council agreed to push for the creation of a ‘blue safe maritime corridor’ for the safe evacuation of seafarers and ships from the high-risk and impacted areas in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov to safer areas. As a next step, the Council has invited the IMO secretary-general to work with relevant parties and take urgent action to initiate the implementation of the corridor.

 

IMO Legal Committee meets this week

The 109th session of the IMO Legal Committee is taking place this week from 21 to 25 March and is being attended by Frans Van Zoelen, chairman of the IAPH Legal Committee, and our IMO liaison officer Rhona Macdonald. Close attention will be paid to the situation in Ukraine and the safety and fair treatment of seafarers and ships operating in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, with a number of submissions made on the basis of these concerns. Additional items of note include documents submitted on the facilitation of the entry into force and harmonised interpretation of the 2010 Protocol to the HNS (Hazardous and Noxious Substances) Convention. From discussions thus far, it appears that Estonia has become the sixth contracting state with more governments said to be considering ratification of or accession to the Protocol. We will continue to follow the talks throughout this week and report on any key outcomes to members.

 

#IAPH2022: time to vote for the Sustainability Awards!

Voting by the general public has opened this week for the #IAPH2022 Sustainability Awards, with votes being collected online via the IAPH World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP) website. An esteemed jury of nine independent experts has selected three finalists from a long list of projects submitted by ports from 26 different countries in each of the following categories : Climate and Energy, Environmental Care, Community Building, Infrastructure, Digitalisation, and Health, Safety and Security. In order to take part in the public vote, people have the chance to firstly review the projects’ details here before submitting their choice for each category. The outcome of the public vote (30%), together with that of the jury evaluation (70%) will co-determine the winners of the Awards. Voting will close at midnight Pacific Standard Time on Monday 18 April, which is exactly one month before the opening of the #IAPH2022 World Ports Conference. The winners will then be announced exclusively in person at the Awards ceremony planned at the Gala Dinner for the IAPH 2022 World Ports Conference on the evening of 17 May at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Thanks to the high number of entries this year from our IAPH regular and associate members, the total number of port sustainability projects added to the WPSP database available for viewing on our portal has now reached 238 from a total of 109 ports from 47 different countries, making this programme a unique reference point for ports looking to adopt best practices in applying the UN Sustainable Development Goals in practice. We congratulate all finalists reaching this stage and wish them the best of luck with their campaigns to appeal to the voting public to select their project for the Awards.

 

 

#IAPH2022: we’re all set to welcome you to Vancouver!

With nearly 250 people already confirmed to date, we can finally look forward to our first in-person World Ports Conference since 2019. After two years of online meetings, it’s time to network again in person, exchanging first-hand knowledge and setting up new business ventures together. The 2022 IAPH World Ports Conference, held in Vancouver from 16 to 19 May, provides the perfect platform for this. A fully updated conference agenda is now available, and delegates can look forward to top-level discussions on resilience of maritime supply chains, energy transition, and data collaboration as well as dedicated sessions on revitalisation of cruise business and leadership in diversity. In addition, we have a series of hands-on workshops on port connectivity and accessibility, port performance measurement, green shipping corridors, port tools to facilitate energy transition, ports stimulating innovation and acceleration of digitalisation. At the close of the conference, we will present a roadmap on how to #CloseTheGaps in global port infrastructure with The World Bank, based on inputs from the regional pre-conference workshops held in February and March. The results of these workshops will be discussed during the regional sessions in Vancouver. Of course, you don’t want to miss the Gala Dinner on 17 May where we will announce the winners of the #IAPH2022 Sustainability Awards.  Finally, we encourage you to take part in the in-person meetings of the IAPH Technical Committees and the live demonstration of Port Endeavor, the world’s only business game on sustainable port development. Both are planned for 19 May. All this will be happening against the magnificent backdrop of the Vancouver waterfront, with the month of May promising to be particularly attractive! Further good news is that the Canadian government will further ease travel restrictions from 1 April, with fully vaccinated travellers no longer having to provide a pre-entry COVID-19 test result. You’ll find full details about the conference agenda and all practical information on the conference website. We look forward to seeing you in Vancouver in less than two months from now!

 

 

#IAPH2022: preferential hotel bookings can be made

Delegates to the 2022 IAPH World Ports Conference are now able to book rooms at a reduced rate for from Sunday (15) to Thursday (19) night at the Pan Pacific Hotel and Fairmont Waterfront hotel. Limited rooms are available and will be booked on a first come first serve basis. Booking information will be emailed upon registering to attend #IAPH2022.

 

#IAPH2022: Canada further relaxes travel restrictions

The Canadian government has announced that it will further ease travel restrictions from 1 April, with fully vaccinated travellers no longer having to provide a pre-entry COVID-19 test result. All travellers continue to be required to submit their mandatory information in ArriveCAN via the free mobile app or website, before their arrival in Canada. Travellers arriving by plane must do so within 72 hours before boarding. IAPH conference delegates needing a Visa to enter Canada, can ask for a letter of invitation when making their registration on the World Ports Conference website.

 

#IAPH2022: revitalisation of the IAPH cruise agenda

With the return of the cruise season in several world ports, we are revitalising the IAPH cruise agenda as well. We are proud to have Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) president and CEO Kelly Craighead as a keynote speaker at the World Ports Conference in Vancouver, who will share her organisation’s vision on the new era for cruise shipping, including emerging markets, and how ports can help shaping this vision. The session with Kelly is scheduled for the afternoon of 16 May and will be followed by a panel discussion with port executives on the role of port authorities as interfaces between cruise lines and destinations, building partnerships with local communities and investing in sustainability. On 19 May afternoon we plan a brainstorm meeting on the agenda of the IAPH Cruise Committee, which has been dormant for a couple of years now. Finally, work is progressing nicely on the ‘emissions at berth’ module of the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) which will initially focus on cruise shipping and is developed by major cruise ports in partnership with CLIA (read further about ESI in this edition of Insider).

Kelly Craighead on the cover of Ports & Harbors May-June 2021
 

#IAPH2022: Asia closes pre-conference workshop series

As this Insider gets published the penultimate #IAPH2022 regional pre-conference workshop is underway covering the Middle East, Central and South Asia. The last workshop will be held 29 March, zooming in on the competitiveness of East Asian ports. Our panel of senior experts includes Anne-Sophie Zerlang Karlsen, head of operations for Asia-Pacific at A.P. Møller-Maersk, Roberto Gianetta, chairman of the Hong Kong Liner Shipping Association, Sunny Ho, executive director at the Hong Kong Shippers Council, Sakura Kuma, CEO APM Terminals Japan, Masaharu Shinohara, vice-president IAPH and executive officer Kobe-Osaka International Port Corporation, E.H. Lee, director marketing and international affairs department at Busan Port Authority, Qi Danhua, deputy director of department of business at Guangzhou Port Authority and Robin Li, vice-president of China Merchants Port Holdings. The workshop will be moderated by Yin Yin Lam, senior transport and trade logistics specialist at The World Bank, with expert input from Theo Notteboom, professor at Shanghai Maritime University. Members and non-members who have registered for the IAPH 2022 Conference in Vancouver will have exclusive access to this workshop as well as to the reports of the previous eight workshops, identifying how ports will #CloseTheGaps to increase their competitiveness and adaptability to future needs. The results of the workshops will be discussed during the regional meetings held at the 2022 World Ports Conference and provide input to a roadmap on how to #CloseTheGaps in global port infrastructure, developed with The World Bank.
 

#IAPH2022: P&H poll on closing the gaps

The regional pre-conference workshops aim to identify gaps in port operations, with the World Ports Conference aiming to #CloseTheGaps and issue a call to action. To help identifying the main priorities for ports and their customers, the next edition of the IAPH membership magazine Ports & Harbors asks which of the suggested focus areas (connectivity and accessibility, port efficiency, cost of cargo shipping, regulatory environment, digitalisation, decarbonisation) do readers consider the most important one in need of improvement for their region. You can use this web link to submit your answer for this month’s reader poll.

 

Results 11th IMO GHG Intersessional Working Group

The eleventh IMO Intersessional Working Group on GHG Emissions took place last week 14 to 18 March and was attended by our technical director Antonis Michail, IMO liaison officer Rhona Macdonald, and our associate member Bruce Anderson from Starcrest Consulting. The discussions were overall constructive and smooth, with convergence amongst Member States on most issues raised. The key items of note were the lessons-learned exercise of the comprehensive impact assessment of the short-term measures and the development of draft lifecycle GHG and carbon intensity guidelines of maritime fuels. A recurring theme that was reflected in both the discussions and submissions by Member States, was the need to consider the potential disproportionate negative impacts on developing states when carrying out impact assessments on the candidate measures and when developing lifecycle assessment (LCA) guidelines. There was a general consensus that this issue needs to be addressed by the IMO before carrying out further assessments, with various suggestions from Member States, including the need for a specific exemption clause as part of a future measure, as well as the proposal from the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu pushing for the disproportionate negative impacts to be assumed as default when no baseline data is available to demonstrate such impacts, all of which were met with strong opposing and converging views. As a result, it was agreed that further work was needed to conclude the lessons learned exercise and the Working Group agreed to establish an overarching Steering Committee to oversee future work and conduct of comprehensive impact assessments. With regards to the draft LCA guidelines, the Working Group agreed to recommend to the next Marine Environment Protection Committee, the establishment of a correspondence group on Marine Fuel Lifecycle GHG Assessment. In general, there was agreement on matters discussed, particularly in reference to the need for the LCA assessment to be undertaken by scientific experts and for the methodology to be transparent and quantifiable. Members of the IAPH Climate and Energy Committee received a detailed report on the outcome of the Intersessional Working Group meeting earlier this week.

 

Environmental Ship Index moves to the next level

The IAPH Environmental Ship Index (ESI) is building on its ten years’ success story through the development of ESI version 2.0 that will also be embedding the ESI at-berth module, which is already under development. The ESI Incentive Providers met on 22 March and reviewed initial proposals for both ESI 2.0 and the at-berth module, while concrete proposals will be presented for consideration by the ESI Stakeholders Assembly held 20 May in Vancouver, in the margins of the IAPH World Ports Conference. Currently, the ESI formula and score assesses NOx and SOx emissions from ships based at large on the ship’s characteristics and fuel bunkered, while also rewarding reporting and improvements over time of GHG emissions, and vessels equipped to connect to onshore power supply (OPS). While maintaining the simplicity of the overall approach, ESI version 2.0 will be looking at further rewarding equipment and technologies on board of vessels that reduce air and GHG emissions and will be introducing a new GHG emissions module incorporating the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) adopted by IMO last year. In parallel, the ESI at-berth module will be evaluating the actual performance of vessels in terms of emissions during a given port call. Starting with cruise vessels as a pilot for a two-year period, the at-berth module is then expected to expand to other types of traffic subject to positive evaluation. The core team supervising the development of ESI at-berth met in London earlier this month to coordinate progress and draw proposals regarding system architecture of the new dedicated website and the implementation of the data collection module. These proposals were further consulted with the ESI at-berth working group on 21 March.

 

Ports play critical role in future fuels investments

A study by Arup, Lloyd’s Register and The Resilience Shift has outlined the critical role of ports in driving and supporting the case for investment in energy infrastructure. Focusing on a case study of a green shipping triangle in the Atlantic Ocean, the research highlights the risks and opportunities associated with developing infrastructure for alternative fuels and how ports can unlock investment for the production and supply of alternative fuels. The study, which brings together research and expertise into the hydrogen economy (Arup), maritime decarbonisation (Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub) and resilience for ports (The Resilience Shift), evaluates land-side infrastructure for fuels derived from blue hydrogen (produced from natural gas using carbon capture) and green hydrogen (produced from renewable energy and water). It takes a whole-system view of the challenges and opportunities associated with these technologies – building on Arup’s hydrogen experience across the sectors – demonstrating the need for careful integration with port and energy systems using a sustainability and resilience focused framework. Regardless of the fuel of choice, the research shows that demand for alternative fuels is intrinsically linked with the concept of green shipping corridors – where the transition can start through a multi-stakeholder initiative. This total value approach can unlock investment and highlight the opportunity for ports as resilient zero carbon gateways to growth, bringing co-benefits in local social, environmental, financial and economic value. Coalitions are forming around numerous green corridor proposals, and this study can support these coalitions and their potential infrastructure investors to adopt a whole value chain approach to potential challenges and demonstrate the scale of the infrastructure projects to undertake. The authors used an innovative approach of looking at the demand side of shipping and the impacts on the need for and scale of land-side infrastructure. Using a scenario of a green shipping triangle in the Atlantic, connecting Brazil, South Africa and Morocco, the authors explore how this will drive decarbonisation in practice and what the challenges and opportunities are with a whole-system resilience-led approach, where ports act as the linking piece between shipping and the energy systems. The study is available to download here.

 

Climate disruptions could cost ports $25 billion a year

A new report reveals that the global shipping and port industry is susceptible to billions of dollars in infrastructure damage and trade disruption from climate change impacts. Authored by RTI International, a non-profit research institute, for Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), ‘Act Now or Pay Later: The Costs of Climate Inaction for Ports and Shipping’ explores data on climate-related disasters and projects the cost of future damages to the industry. Based on past impacts and anticipated climate change scenarios, the report projects that the additional annual damages to port infrastructure could reach nearly US$ 18 billion by 2100. Storm-related port disruptions could add another US$ 7.5 billion each year, reflecting the economic losses incurred by ports, shippers, and carriers due to port closures and the costs to shipping customers. Together, these added future costs due to climate change are roughly equivalent to the total annual net earnings for the container port sector in 2019. Global trade is expected to grow in the future and so is the volume of goods transported by sea. However, negative ripple effects through shipping and port networks can have significant global economic consequences and the report estimates that climate change impacts can reduce maritime trade volume. Assuming a steady growth rate, global trade is expected to grow to reach 120 billion tons in 2100 – but under the worst-case climate scenario, that growth could be stunted by up to nearly 10%. The RTI-EDF report summarises existing evidence and estimates of the impacts and costs of climate-related hazards, finding that data on this topic is sparse or completely lacking for many areas. The lack of data means that the shipping industry does not have a clear picture of future circumstances and future costs could be far higher than estimated here. While the RTI-EDF report uses the best information available to paint a picture of the true economic cost of climate change on international shipping, the reality is that these figures are likely underestimating the total scale of the consequences. Read the full report here. 

 

German ports launch ‘ZeroEmission@Berth’ competition

With its amendment to the Climate Change Act, the German Federal Government has tightened climate regulations and set the goal of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045. Emissions are to be reduced to 65 percent of 1990 levels by 2030. The EU is aiming at a similarly ambitious target and is striving to decrease net emissions to at least 55 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. In its recently released ‘Fit for 55’ package the European Commission has proposed concrete measures regarding ships at berth. Beginning in 2030, containerships, cruise ships, and RoPax ferries with a GT of over 5,000 will be required to meet zero emissions while berthed, with onshore power supply, batteries, and fuel cells being defined as possible solutions. The main German seaports, including IAPH members Hamburg Port Authority, bremenports and JadeWeserPort, support this approach but propose to design it in a way that is open to all technologies, e.g. to enable the use of fuels from renewable energies. These fuels offer the possibility of reducing CO₂ emissions and air pollutants not only at berth, but also at sea and thus to a much greater extent. The seaports, represented by their respective port infrastructure companies, want to support the path of decarbonisation of shipping with the innovation competition ‘ZeroEmission@Berth’ to enable ship operations at berth without emissions. The ports are looking for innovative ideas, concepts and existing technology solutions that provide alternatives to existing shore power systems and to energy supply approaches for ships at berth, which can also contribute to reducing emissions while ships are at sea. The innovation competition offers the opportunity to present your innovation to decision-makers and to gain media attention.The application date closes on 18 June 2022 at 11.59 PM CEST. More information is available here and you can ask any questions to Peter Möller at the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany via email: [email protected].

 

We welcome the Port Authority of Vigo

We are pleased to announce that the Port Authority of Vigo in Spain has joined IAPH as a regular member. The port of Vigo is highly specialised in the movement of general cargo, with more than 70% of it being containerised. It also has terminals specialised in ro-ro traffic, ranking among the main Spanish ports in traffic of new vehicles. The port of Vigo furthermore is one of the world’s major fishing ports, both in terms of quantity and quality. As a cruise port, it handles an average of 160,000 passengers and about 75 annual calls. More information can be found on the Port Authority of Vigo website.

 

 

Second IAPH Harbor Café on 29 March

The second IAPH Harbor Café will take place next week on 29 March between 02:00-03:30 pm (CEST). The topics on the Café table include decarbonisation of ports and supply chains in the regions of Europe and Africa. Jens Meier, IAPH’s vice-president for Europe and interim vice-president for Africa is inviting members to attend the bi-regional meeting to openly discuss topics of common interest, express their views, raise concerns and share solutions in an open, trusting atmosphere. IAPH members are stepping forward to present some best practices on onshore power supply, green hydrogen transition in ports and decarbonisation of terminals, so bring your drink of choice and join the conversation. IAPH members from our Africa and Europe regions who would like to participate are kindly asked to send an email to Ingrid Boqué: [email protected].

 

 

Port Endeavor game played again at APEC training course

Last week on 16 March our UN SDG PortEndeavor game has been played again, hosted by our partner and associate member APEC-Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Center with port professionals from Oman,Tanzania, Romania and Lithuania all taking on challenges to apply the UN Sustainable Development Goals in practice. With further games planned for this year, APEC is integrating the game into its courses as part of a module on innovative integration of Sustainable Development Goals. There are also plans for a demonstration of the game in Vancouver on 19 May following the IAPH World Ports Conference, and our other Port Endeavor partner UNCTAD’s TrainForTrade will be presenting their experiences with the game during the conference itself.

 

 

IAPH delegation attended SELA port network meeting

Last week, a delegation of IAPH representatives virtually attended the Sixth Latin American and Caribbean Meeting of Logistics Port Communities of SELA, the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System. SELA is an intergovernmental regional organisation that groups 25 Latin American and Caribbean countries. IAPH managing director Patrick Verhoeven participated in the opening session of the meeting whereas IAPH Legal Committee chairman Frans van Zoelen teamed up with associate members Max Bobys (HudsonCyber) and Gadi Benmoshe (Marinnovators) to introduce the IAPH cybersecurity guidelines in a dedicated session on port security and cybersecurity. Pascal Ollivier, chairman of the IAPH Data Collaboration, participated in a session on digital transformation of ports, together with Piet Opstaele (Port of Antwerp) and Ben van Scherpenzeel, chairman of the International Task Force Port Call Optimization. Pascal also joined the meeting of the SELA Port Network Steering Committee.

 

 

IAPH held first workshop in Spanish language

Our participation in the recent SELA port network meeting underlines our efforts to have a stronger presence in the Latin American port landscape. In the same spirit, we decided to hold our regional pre-conference workshop for Central and South America entirely in Spanish. Thanks to our Spanish-speaking communications director Victor Shieh and our partnership with MundoMarítimo, the prime maritime news portal in Latin America, a great session was held on 22 March, under the Chatham House Rule, as all other pre-conference workshops. Moderated by MundoMarítimo editor Barbara Salgado with expert input of transport lead specialist of the Inter-American Development Bank Agustina Calatayud, a wide range of shipping and port community interests participated, including senior representatives of Ocean Network Express (ONE), Nowports, Terminal Portuario Manta, San Antonio Terminal Nacional, Sociedad Portuaria Buenaventura, Transporte Internacional, Grupo Falabella the port of Açu and the National Port Authority of Perú.

 

 

Member Port News

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

  • Africa and Europe region: Gibraltar Port Authority, Belfast Harbour Commissioners, Antwerp Port Authority, Autoridad Portuaria de la Bahìa de Algeciras, Autoridad Portuaria de Bilbao, Port Autonome de San Pedro, Port Authority of Genoa, Port of London Authority, Administração dos Portos de Sines e do Algarve, Hamburg Port Authority, Baku International Sea Trade Port, Port of Amsterdam, Freeport of Riga Authority, Port of Rotterdam Authority, Autoridad Portuaria de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Autoridad Portuaria de Valencia , Oslo Port Authority, Ports of Cabo Verde, Port of Gdansk Authority, Autoridad Portuaria de Sevilla, North Sea Port, Port of Bergen, Port of Helsinki, bremenports, Port Autonome d’ Abidjan, Port of Göteborg, Autoridad Portuaria de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, HAROPA PORT, Autoridad Portuaria de Huelva, Port of Beirut, Nigerian Ports Authority
  • America region: Halifax Port Authority, Autoridad Marítima de Panamá, Port of Seattle, Companhia de Desenvolvimento do Complexo Industrial e Portuário do Pecém, Georgia Ports Authority, National Port Administration Uruguay, Port of San Diego, Canaveral Port Authority, Port Saint John, Port of Los Angeles
  • Asia and Oceania Region: Busan Port Authority, DP World, Lyttelton Port Company, Maldives Ports, Taiwan International Ports Corporation, NSW Ports, Marine Department Hong Kong, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Marine and Water Bureau, Government of Macau, Ports and Maritime Organization Iran, Port of Duqm Company, Sri Lanka Ports Authority,  Ulsan Port Authority, Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority, Port of Brisbane, Guangzhou Port Authority, Incheon Port Authority, PSA International, Kuantan Port Authority, Johor Port Authority, Solomon Islands Ports Authority

Check out the full line up on our Member Port News page.

 

World Maritime News

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

  • Impact on port and maritime industry due to Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • US pressure on profitability of container lines and reaction of the maritime industry
  • New COVID-19 lockdowns in China disrupt the supply chain
  • Skipped port calls threaten economic recovery
  • Carriers take different paths on terminal investments
  • Resolving inland congestion seen as key to releasing supply chain capacity
  • Topics on green fuel
  • The situation on the data sharing for easing ports congestion in the US
  • Topics on digital freight forwarders

For details of each story, please visit the World Maritime News section on our website.

 

Calendar of Events

IAPH events and events where IAPH is represented

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