IAPH Insider- December 21, 2023

This edition covers:

 

IAPH Insider highlight with Patrick Verhoeven

 

IAPH condemns Red Sea area attacks

In the wake of recent attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea area by Houthis, a Yemen-based rebel group, IAPH joins the International Maritime Organization and international shipping associations in strongly condemning the aggression and supporting the IMO invitation for Member States to work together to ensure unhindered and safe global navigation and the well-being of innocent seafarers everywhere. Shipping industry associations have come together to publish security guidance applicable to navigating in the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The guidance emphasises the importance of conducting a thorough ship and voyage-specific threat and risk assessment considering any additional advice from the ship’s flag state before passing through the area in question. The guidance highlights that the maritime threat from the Houthi forces is greater in the vicinity of the Yemeni Red Sea coastline, where they are occasionally present. The guidance also advises against following Houthi instructions to divert to Houthi-controlled ports for detention of the ship and crew. You can find the guidance on the BIMCO website.

 

IAPH and ICS bring Clean Energy Marine Hubs to COP28

At the recent COP28 Shaping the Future of Shipping summit organised by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) in Dubai on 10 December with over 300 maritime industry CEOs, government ministers and NGOs present, IAPH president and Hamburg Port Authority CEO Jens Meier called on ports to actively collaborate with each other on knowledge sharing between themselves and the maritime community to accelerate decarbonisation. Jens Meier commented that energy transition should not be seen as a competitive issue among ports. He highlighted the need to develop tools together to ensure the infrastructure is available for low and zero carbon fuels for when the ships calling need them. In recent months IAPH had worked as partner of the IMO Norway GreenVoyage2050 project on developing skills in the safe and efficient handling of alternative fuels at a seminar held in Mumbai, India involving port professionals from developing countries. In the New Year, a Port Readiness Level tool developed by a group of advanced ports of the World Port Climate Action Program and IAPH’s Clean Marine Fuels Working Group will be made available by IAPH as an initial manual self-assessment tool following successful testing by the Port of Rotterdam. The vital role of ports as Clean Marine Fuel Hubs (CEM Hubs) is not only about the supply of new and existing fuels to bunker ships but also the production of green hydrogen, storage and subsequent seaborne transportation of this renewable energy via fuels such as methanol and ammonia to import countries. With the IMO agreeing to accelerate shipping decarbonisation, one key success factor will be the successful negotiation of a market-based measure to raise funding for a just and equitable energy transition. A globally implemented economic measure will need to be agreed upon at the IMO next year that also ensures developing countries and small island states are not left out in infrastructure and capacity building.  Coinciding with COP28, Brazil now joins founder partners UAE and Canada alongside Uruguay, Norway and Panama in the CEM Hubs Initiative under the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) where energy ministers collaborate internationally. CEM Hubs will formalise a work programme in the first quarter of 2024 alongside ICS and IAPH, with supporting organisations IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) GMCD (Global Maritime Centre for Decarbonisation) and other industry partners. To view Jens Meier’s intervention at the Shaping the Future of Shipping Summit, please view session one, 01:20 on the ICS VIMEO channel.

 

 

IMO GreenVoyage 2050 launches OPS package 

A workshop package on Onshore Power Supply (OPS) for use by port stakeholders is now available under the IMO-Norway GreenVoyage2050 project. The package explains how ports can use OPS to reduce ship emissions in ports. The project has been developed in collaboration with IAPH. The OPS workshop package provides port stakeholders, including port authorities, terminals, with a basic understanding of the concept of OPS and key considerations to support the implementation of OPS as an emission reduction opportunity in port. For more information, check out the IMO press release.

 

IMO workshop on life cycle GHG intensity of marine fuels 

On 14-15 December, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) held an Expert Workshop on the life cycle GHG intensity of marine fuels to support the further development of the IMO Life cycle assessment (LCA) framework. At the adoption of the IMO LCA Guidelines at MEPC 80 last July, the Committee has requested the IMO secretariat to undertake a review of existing practices on sustainability aspects, certification, and third-party verification issues in relation to the application of the LCA guidelines and the fuel life cycle labels of marine fuels used by ships. At last week’s workshop, experts presented on existing practices on sustainability aspects, certification and verification, including possible approaches to operationalise a risk-based approach for Indirect Land Used Change as a result of the production of alternative marine fuels. Furthermore, delegates exchanged up-to-date information on relevant LCA methodologies and experts’ views on how to operationalise the LCA framework which will play a key role in the development of the basket of candidate mid-term GHG reduction measures. Overall, these discussions offered an opportunity for information sharing to prepare for further development of the framework during the next GHG intersessional working group meeting (ISWG-GHG 16) on 11-15 March next year, and MEPC 81, which will take place 18-22 March.

 

IMO adopts places of refuge guidelines

At the recent IMO Assembly meeting, Member States approved a draft resolution on guidelines on places of refuge for ships in need of assistance, with the addition of minor amendments as proposed by Argentina. This proposal referred to paragraph 4.3 which states ‘the right of a foreign ship to enter a port or internal waters of another State in situations of force majeure or distress’ is ‘internationally accepted practice’ and argued that this was in conflict with the draft Assembly resolution of the guidelines recalling that ‘coastal States are not, under international law, under any obligation to grant places of refuge’. To accommodate Argentina’s concerns, improved wording was proposed which numerous Member States were willing to endorse. The proposed amendments to the draft resolution were approved and it was ultimately adopted by the Assembly.

 

IAPH partners with Mercator Media

Mercator Media has been appointed the official new media and events partner of IAPH. The agreement, which has been signed for an initial period of three years, includes overall production of the annual World Ports Conference and the publishing of the bi-monthly Ports & Harbors magazine. The World Ports Conference is a world-class event, where the indispensable role of ports in global maritime trade is discussed in terms of energy transition, data collaboration and resilience. It brings together key industry stakeholders for learning, information sharing, networking and collaboration. The 2024 conference is planned for 8-10 October and will take place in Hamburg, Germany. The host sponsor will be the Hamburg Port Authority and will be attended by both senior German government and industry representatives. To mark the 70th anniversary of IAPH, the 2025 World Ports Conference will be held in Kobe, Japan in October 2025. Ports & Harbors is the flagship membership magazine of IAPH and is published on a bi-monthly basis. It is renowned for high design values, insightful reports and open opinion pieces and debates on the latest developments around the world of ports and terminals. Mercator Media will be reviewing opportunities to extend the distribution of content online and other ways to enhance communications between IAPH and its membership. We are delighted to enter into the partnership with Mercator Media. The company has been working in the port industry space since 1989 and will offer IAPH added value in terms of networking, content, event management and publication expertise.

 
 

Welcome to new members

We are pleased to announce that Hartman & König Stromzuführungs has joined the IAPH as an associate member. The company is one of the leading manufacturers of motorised cable reels, spring cable reels, and slip ring assemblies, which are used on container-, deck- and construction cranes, excavators, or hoisting equipment of all types. The company has been in the business for over seventy years, with a reputation for providing high-quality products.

 
 

Risk and Resilience Committee met 20 December 

The IAPH Risk and Resilience Committee met virtually yesterday, 20 December. Following discussions at the previous meeting on measures to tackle illicit trade and organised crime, members were updated on the recent adoption of the draft resolution submitted by Belgium to the 33rd meeting of the IMO Assembly, to which IAPH was a co-sponsor, on enhancing existing IMO frameworks to highlight the impacts of organised crime on the maritime industry. IAPH will continue to closely follow discussions at IMO level, whilst members agreed to continue to share best practices and knowledge on this important topic. Further to this item, participants identified fires onboard RoRo vessels as an area of increasing concern for the committee to address. It was agreed that there is an evident need for more data on the topic with an interest in engaging relevant stakeholders in the port community to collaborate and share experiences. This is a topic that will also be on the agenda for the Technical Committee Days taking place from 27 to 29 March in London. On the World Ports Tracker, it was announced that the next survey will be launched in January 2024 and port members were encouraged to submit their responses ahead of analysis and publication of the 6th edition of the report in March. Professor Thanos Pallis provided a short presentation on the updated survey which includes new questions on emissions reporting and cold ironing, together with changes to the frequency of reporting to twice a year. Finally, IAPH will be collaborating with the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) to deliver a short guidance document to address corruption in ports and gather relevant case studies for the WPSP website to share what actions member ports are currently taking to handle this risk.

 

Data Collaboration Committee met 7 December

The IAPH Data Collaboration Committee met virtually on 7 December and was well attended by more than thirty participants. Members had the opportunity to exchange with the IMO head of facilitation, Julian Abril, who presented and discussed an overview of the ongoing work, priorities and expectations ahead of the 48th meeting of the Facilitation Committee (FAL 48) in spring. Furthermore, members reviewed the 2024 workplan of the technical committee’s subgroups on supply chain resilience and cybersecurity including bringing their findings and proposals forward via appropriate channels at IMO and provided respective input and feedback. The committee was further updated on all the collaborative activities and initiatives between IAPH and third parties such as the World Customs Organization, the World Bank Group and the World Economic Forum that also recently materialised in important joint publications that were recently released and will also be brought to the attention of IMO through dedicated submissions to IMO FAL 48. Finally, members were informed on the latest progress achieved under the International Taskforce on Port Call Optimization and the follow-up actions considered by the committee’s working group targeting the preparation of the port workforce of the future. The next meeting of the Data Collaboration Committee will take place in person during the IAPH Technical Committee Days in London from 25 to 27 March. Members are encouraged to confirm their attendance to Takeshi Suzuki: [email protected].

 

Member survey on future of work

One of the main paths to improved end-to-end maritime supply chain improvement involves enhanced port efficiency through digitalisation and automation. Aside from the change management that is required, ports face a serious challenge in attracting and retaining talented emerging technology experts to work in the port ecosystem. The IAPH Data Collaboration Committee would like to help prepare the ports’ work force of the future for these new employment opportunities. Since last year’s Technical Committee days in London a working group has been established to assess the most useful way IAPH can support its members in the future of work efforts. After exploring the related opportunities, the group has suggested a number of activities and is inviting IAPH members to give their opinion answering this very short survey. We would appreciate if members can respond on the survey before 15 January, so that the tools members could find useful can be prioritised moving ahead.

 

IAPH attended MEDports Innovation Seminar 

Last week, the Moroccan National Ports Agency, an IAPH regular member, hosted the MEDPorts Association’s seminar on Digital Transformation, Innovation and Cooperation, where IAPH communications director Victor Shieh presented on innovation for sustainable development, highlighting examples of WPSP projects led by Mediterranean ports. The seminar gathered many of MEDPort’s members alongside several West African ports, as well as IAPH partners Valenciaport Foundation and the Port Training institute of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport (AASTMT).  Victor’s presentation can be found here.

 
 

IAPH presented at the APEC Course on Marketing

IAPH returned to the Port of Antwerp-Bruges Port House, this time with Victor Shieh accepting the invitation to present at APEC Flanders Port training Centre on trends in communications in maritime and ports at their international in-person course on Port Business Analysis Development & Marketing. Victor invited course participant Camila Tavares of Porto do Açu to present her port’s marketing communications strategy as part of the intervention, given their close working relationship with IAPH, especially during the pandemic as part of the IAPH COVID-19 taskforce. In the afternoon Victor joined the participants for a lively gameplay of Port Endeavor. You can download Victor’s presentation here. APEC is an IAPH associate member and one of IAPH’s strategic partners in the dissemination of the Port Endeavor game, together with UNCTAD TrainForTrade.

 
 

Port Endeavor played with C-MAT students

Another successful Port Endeavor training session took place in Antwerp on 14 December, this time for international students of the C-MAT Maritime Transport Management course held at the Antwerp Management School. IAPH technical director, Antonis Michail facilitated the session as part of his lecture on sustainable port management. This was the first time IAPH facilitated a gameplay for non-port professionals and the positive outcome confirmed the great potential of Port Endeavor to be used by universities and academic institutions, offering a hands-on learning experience on sustainable port management. During the two hours session, the participants took over the role of port managers in addressing challenges ranging in focus from environmental, such as dealing with dust, waste and protecting biodiversity, to tackling energy transition and decarbonization, and further to addressing socio-economic challenges to ensure the livelihood of their local communities. If you want to know more about Port Endeavor and screen possibilities for organising a session for your port and stakeholders, please contact Antonis Michail: [email protected]. C-MAT is an associate member of IAPH, you can find out more about their Maritime Transport Management course here.

 
 

UN Global Compact guidance on ports

UN Global Compact recently published a guidance document for ports, which features in the series of guidance documents the organisation has produced around its Sustainable Ocean Principles that aim at promoting the well-being of the ocean for current and future generations, and to emphasise the shared responsibility of businesses to take necessary actions to secure a healthy and productive ocean. The port guidance seeks to demonstrate a range of aspirational possibilities for all ports and serves as a prompt to find ways to overcome barriers to achieve greater sustainability performance. The guidance has been structured along six themes. Three are derived directly from the Sustainable Ocean Principles: ocean health and productivity, governance and engagement, and data and transparency. Given the complexity and the many interrelations of the port sector, the consultative group extended the focus of this report to include three additional themes that are of particular relevance to ports: climate resilience, just energy transition, and finance. The guidance document can be downloaded from the UN Global Compact website.

 

Book on IMO history launched

A book detailing the history of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been published to mark 75 years since the adoption of the IMO Convention, creating for the first time a global body to promote the safety and security of shipping and the protection of the marine environment. ‘Safer shipping, cleaner seas – A celebration of 75 years of IMO’ was launched at a farewell event for the outgoing IMO secretary-general Kitack Lim on 6 December. The book can be purchased at the IMO Staff Association shop at IMO Headquarters, for £70. All profits go to the IMO Technical Cooperation Fund. For more information, click here.

 
 

Happy Holidays!

IAPH Insider takes a break during the upcoming holiday season. Our offices will be closed from 23 December to 7 January and the next issue of your favourite newsletter will appear on 11 January. We wish all our readers a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!  We thank you for your support and look forward to working with you next year, hoping to see all of you in Hamburg 8-10 October at the 2024 World Ports Conference.

 
 

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: Port of Amsterdam, Autoritat Portuària de Barcelona, Autoridad Portuaria de Huelva, Autoridad Portuaria de Valencia (Port Authority of Valencia), Baku International Sea Trade Port, Belfast Harbour Commissioners, Autoridad Portuaria de Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Ports of Tenerife), Hamburg Port Authority, Oslo Port Authority, Port of Göteborg AB, Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company, Freeport of Riga Authority, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Port of London Authority, Autoridad Portuaria de Bilbao, JadeWeserPort Realisierungs GmbH & Co.KG, Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Ports of Cabo Verde, Port of Rotterdam Authority (Havenbedrijf Rotterdam N.V.), Autoridad Portuaria de Sevilla, bremenports GmbH & Co. KG, Cyprus Ports Authority, Port of Bergen, Port of Helsinki Ltd, Port Authority of Vigo, Port Autonome d’ Abidjan (Abidjan Port Authority) 
  • America region: Port of Hueneme, National Ports Administration, Uruguay, Northwest Seaport Alliance, Port of Long Beach, Port of Los Angeles, Port of Seattle, Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), Port of San Diego, Port of Oakland, Canaveral Port Authority, Montreal Port Authority 
  • Asia and Oceania region: Maldives Ports Limited, Port Nelson Limited, DP World, Incheon Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Taiwan International Ports Corp., Ltd., Busan Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries, NSW Ports, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), PSA International Pte Ltd, Abu Dhabi Ports, Marine and Water Bureau, Government of Macau, SAR, Westports Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Incheon Port Authority, Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Sri Lanka Ports Authority, PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Persero), Busan Port Authority, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, New Mangalore Port Authority, Lyttelton Port Company Ltd., 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: 

  • Topics on the Houthi attacks against ships
  • CMA CGM flips newbuild fuel pick from methanol to LNG
  • Crowley to pilot Carbon Ridge’s onboard carbon capture and storage system
  • Leading terminals spark up zero-emissions alliance
  • EU emissions trading to impact 37% of boxship fleet
  • Wide variances remain in Europe ETS levies ahead of 1 January start date
  • Green methanol to lift transpacific freight rates 17% in 2030, UMAS report says
  • Narrow focus on IMO targets could mean others are missed, report warns
  • IMO’s Dominguez vows to find compromise among member states
  • US DOT data-sharing initiative on cargo visibility gaining momentum

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

  • 16 January 2024 – IAPH Climate and Energy Committee – online
  • 14-15 February 2024 – CTL BHP conference – Mumbai
  • 3-6 March 2024 – TPM24 – Long Beach
  • 5-7 March 2024 – Marlog Conference – Alexandria
  • 6-7 March 2024 – Green Ports & Shipping – Singapore
  • 11-15 March 2024 – IMO GHG Intersessional WG (ISWG-GHG 16) – London
  • 11-14 March 2024 – CLIA Cruise Week Europe – Genoa
  • 18-22 March 2024 – IMO Marine Environment Protection Cttee (MEPC 81) – London
  • 25-27 March 2024 – IAPH Technical Committee Days – London
  • Tbc -April 2024 – Pan African Association for Port Cooperation – Libreville
  • 8-12 April 2024 – IMO Facilitation Committee (FAL 48) – London
  • 22-26 April 2024 – IMO Legal Committee (LEG 111) – London
  • 25-26 April 2024 – ESPO Conference – Paris
  • 13-24 May 2024 – IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 108) – London
  • 21-24 May 2024 – UNCTAD Global Supply Chain Forum – Barbados
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