IAPH Insider- 2, May

This edition covers:

 

This week’s Insider highlight with Antonis Michail

 

Submit your projects for 2024 IAPH Awards by 24 May

The deadline for submitting projects for the 2024 IAPH Sustainability Awards competition is fast approaching. IAPH warmly encourages all member ports, and associated members acting on behalf of member ports, to submit their sustainability projects and initiatives using the dedicated online form on the WPSP website by the deadline of Friday 24 May. For IAPH to get a better overview of potential submissions, please inform IAPH technical director Antonis Michail whether you will be submitting projects this year and if so, under which category. The most inspiring projects in each of the six awards categories – infrastructure, digitalisation, climate and energy, community building, environmental care, and health safety and security – will be awarded during a prestigious ceremony to take place at the gala dinner of the World Ports Conference in Hamburg on 9 October. The evaluation process for all candidate projects consists of an initial assessment by our jury of experts against the awards evaluation criteria, followed by a public vote among the emerging finalists on the WPSP website. Members will find all information related to the 2024 awards on this year’s terms of reference. For any questions regarding how to submit your projects and all related practicalities, please contact Antonis Michail.

 

University of Plymouth cyber workshops at #IAPH2024

With the aim of strengthening the hands-on sessions of the IAPH World Ports Conference, IAPH has teamed up with the University of Plymouth to organise two cybersecurity workshops as part of the 2024 conference agenda. The workshops will be guided by professor Kevin Jones, associate professor Kimberly Tam and Chloe Rowland from the university’s team. The interactive sessions will focus on maritime port facility cyber-risk management and mitigation, with scenarios and exercises to help delegates understand cyber risk, attack impacts and the importance of strong and continually evolving management practices. The cyber workshops come in addition to the technical solution visits to Hamburg’s container and cruise terminals and two rounds of the IAPH sustainability business game, Port Endeavor. Discover the full conference agenda here.
 
 

Cyber risk and fuel safety on agenda of IMO MSC 108

The 108th meeting of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 108) is taking place from 15 to 24 May, with several items on the agenda that are of interest to ports. On cybersecurity, IAPH has co-sponsored a submission with the US, UK, European countries and others, proposing revisions to the 2017 Guidelines on Maritime Cyber Risk Management to facilitate the harmonisation of existing requirements. These guidelines include reference to the IAPH Cybersecurity Guidelines for Ports and Port Facilities. This proposal is intended to encourage a level playing field and predictability on board ships regarding what is expected during surveys and inspections with respect to cyber risk management. Other submissions worth noting on this topic are proposed improvements to the Guidelines by IACS to provide additional guidance to maritime stakeholders and a document from France containing a white paper on cybersecurity aboard maritime drones and autonomous ships. Furthermore, the Committee will discuss the report from a Correspondence Group on the development of a safety regulatory framework to support the reduction of GHG emissions from ships using new technologies and alternative fuels. The report will provide an updated list of fuels and technologies which will assist international shipping in reducing its emissions, provide an assessment for each identified fuel and new technology, and develop a record for safety obstacles and gaps in the current IMO instruments that may impede the use of such fuels and technologies.
 

IMO LEG 111 discussed HNS Protocol and liability limits

Last week, at the 111th meeting of the IMO’s Legal Committee (LEG 111), delegations were updated on the facilitation of the entry into force and harmonised interpretation of the 2010 Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) Protocol. Noting a report of the HNS workshop that was held by the IMO to assist the work of Member States towards ratification of, or accession to the Protocol, the Committee confirmed that in October 2023 both France and Slovakia deposited an instrument of ratification and accession, bringing the total number of Contracting States to eight. Furthermore, with five of these Contracting States possessing more than two million units of gross tonnage each, the Committee noted that only four more ratifications with the required contributing cargo were required, thus the Convention was significantly closer to its entry into force. On the topic of measures to assess the need to amend liability limits, the Committee recalled that LEG 110 had agreed to re-establish a Correspondence Group. This topic is of particular interest due to a need for accurate limits of liability to serve port interests. There was general support from Member States for the two sets of draft methodologies developed by the Correspondence Group for ‘the collection and reporting of experience of incidents and damage resulting therefrom’ and for ‘assessing changes in monetary value’, with some stressing the importance of keeping these updated. Following discussions, these draft methodologies were approved by LEG 111 and it was agreed that no further work was required under this item.
 
 

IAPH attended WCO Permanent Technical Committee

The Permanent Technical Committee of the World Customs Organization (WCO) met in Brussels last week. The Committee discusses and shares information on international standards and best practices for customs procedures and is particularly focused on trade facilitation-related activities. The agenda featured the possible revision of the Guidelines on Cooperation between Customs and Port Authorities, which IAPH and WCO jointly published last October. IAPH managing director Patrick Verhoeven attended the Committee meeting and expressed the view that a comprehensive revision was premature as the guidelines had only been published recently. He argued that the focus in the next two years should be on dissemination and implementation, gathering experience from both customs and port authorities. Referring to a proposal of the World Shipping Council to extend the scope to shipping lines, Patrick Verhoeven underlined that the guidelines were issued to foster cooperation between authorities, and that this should remain the focus, at least until the initial implementation period is completed. As an interim step, it was suggested to produce an addendum to the guidelines, highlighting a case study of cooperation between container shipping lines, customs and port authorities.
 
 

IAPH Board met 24 April

IAPH Board members gathered online on 24 April for their first quarterly meeting of 2024. Management provided the Board with a report on the first three months of the year, covering the financial situation and outlook, membership developments, and the implementation of the work programme for 2024, including strategic priorities, projects and events. The chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, Gerd Ramdohr, presented his findings on the financial statements for 2023, which were subsequently adopted. The Board also confirmed the dates of the 2025 World Ports Conference, which will be held 7-9 October next year in Kobe. The next Board meeting will take place in hybrid format in Tokyo, on 9 July.
 

IAPH VP Central-South America met IMO SG in Brazil

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez visited Brazil earlier this week, on the invitation of the Brazilian government and navy. As part of his programme, he delivered the keynote address at a seminar on maritime energy transition. IAPH vice-president for Central and South America, Vinicius Patel (Porto do Açu), took part in the event as well and held bilateral talks with the IMO Secretary-General about the infrastructure, initiatives and technologies that are accelerated in ports with an opportunity to decarbonise the maritime sector.

 

 

IAPH visited port members in Mumbai and Chennai

Last week, IAPH strategy and communications director Victor Shieh joined regional representative for India Ennarasu Karunesan on a tour of Mumbai and Chennai. The first visit was to Mumbai Port Authority and its chairman Rajiv Jalota, who is also chairman of the Indian Ports Association. There was a one-to-one meeting followed by an overall presentation of IAPH to the management team. This was followed by a visit the same day to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority. Meetings were held with, among others, chairman Unmesh Sharad Wagh, marketing manager Ambika Singh and the port’s chief mechanical engineer. The next day Ennarasu and Victor met with Chennai Port Authority, holding talks with chairman Sunwill Paliwal and deputy chairman S. Viswanathan. A meeting also took place the same day at the headquarters of the Indian Maritime University with pro vice chancellor Rajoo Balaji.

 

IAPH’s Victor Shieh and Ennarasu Karunesan (foreground, right) meet with Mumbai Port Authority and

IPA chairman Rajiv Jalota (foreground, left) and his management team

 

Ports Conclave and Port Endeavor in Chennai

The Ports Conclave, the first international event in the history of the Indian Maritime University (IMU), took place at its main study campus near Chennai. The conclave was opened by numerous dignitaries, including the Ministry of Ports Shipping and Waterways’ shipping secretary and the IMU vice-chancellor as well as the consul of Belgium. A session of Port Endeavor gameplay was organised with six groups of seven players, made up of a mix of middle port management from port authorities and IMU students. The gameplay focused mainly on resilience, community and GHG reduction activities and according to direct feedback was resoundingly well-received. The two conclave sessions, involving speakers from IAPH and Port of Antwerp-Bruges International, focused on risk and resilience, citing the recent recovery from the tsunami in Chennai as well as other major crises and events that impacted the port, including a significant cyclone and oil spill. The second session included a video from Niels Vanlaer, chairman of the IAPH Risk and Resilience Committee, explaining and promoting the IAPH Risk and Resilience Guidelines. Ennarasu Karunesan gave context as to how the port industry had adapted to constant game-changing events impacting the sector since the pandemic. There were further interventions from Victor Shieh, plus the former chairman of Chennai Port Trust, Gujarat Maritime Board and the chief information security officer of the National Institute of Disaster Management.

 

 

IAPH visited Irish ports and facilitated Port Endeavor

IAPH technical director Antonis Michail visited Ireland in April to promote IAPH’s work and strengthen the association’s relationships with Irish ports. Antonis visited IAPH member Belfast Harbour to discuss further engagement and held fruitful meetings with the ports of Dublin and Cork, guiding them through the benefits of returning to the IAPH network as regular members. On 17 April, Antonis participated in a panel discussion on Sustainable Alternative Fuels for transport during the 2024 edition of the Transport Research Arena conference – the largest European research and technology conference on transport and mobility – organised by the European Commission. Antonis highlighted the work and safety toolkit of the Clean Marine Fuels (CMF) working group and the ongoing development of the Port Readiness Level for Marine Fuels (PRL MF) assessment tool, jointly with the World Ports Climate Action Program (WPCAP). Joined by colleagues from both the maritime transport and aviation sectors, as well as the European Commission, Antonis reflected on challenges and opportunities of sustainable alternative fuels, with a focus on technology, research, infrastructure and policy aspects. On 22 and 23 April, Antonis joined the UNCTAD Train For Trade (TFT) train-the-trainer sessions for port professionals in the English-speaking network of TFT. He facilitated a Port Endeavor session for 40 port participants, primarily from Africa, Oceania and South East Asia, together with UNCTAD TFT team partners. Once again, the participants affirmed Port Endeavor as an excellent tool for training world port professionals on sustainability and the application of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in ports. 

 

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ESI 2026 launch events to be held online 14 May

Special online launch events on Tuesday 14 May will bring more details of important changes to the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) to the scheme’s Incentive Providers and Incentive Receivers. The most recent ESI Stakeholder Assembly brought confirmation of an expanded suite of performance modules to support ports and vessel owners on the journey to decarbonisation and lowering emissions. These online launch events will present further details about the enhancements to ESI, how Incentive Providers and Receivers will be affected by these necessary changes, the timeline for the changes and the available resources to support a smooth transition. There will be a Q&A at the end of each session. There are two options for attendance on Tuesday 14 May at 10:00 CEST (Asia/Europe) and 17:00 CEST (Europe/Americas). Each session will last approximately 90 minutes. ESI stakeholders interested in registering for one of these free sessions, should contact the ESI administrator, Green Award Foundation.
 

IMO e-learning MSW course open to all

As part of the IMO-BIMCO-IAPH Window of Opportunities campaign for implementing the IMO Maritime Single Window (MSW) in Member States, IAPH asked Jarle Hauge of the Norwegian Coastal Administration to explain the e-learning course he developed for ports, governments and all port community stakeholders, in collaboration with the World Maritime University and IAPH’s Data Collaboration Committee and the collective support of the industry. His video can be seen below. Users can earn an IMO certificate if they complete all the modules, a fact that was showcased with this video two weeks ago in Gabon Libreville at the AGPAOC-PMAWCA conference for African ports. The course is accessible to everyone by registering on an IMO web account. The user guide can be accessed here.
 

 

IKEA Supply decarbonisation catalogue and webinars

IAPH associate member IKEA Supply AG has released a catalogue that offers examples and inspiration from across global transport and logistics in its supply chain on co-creating a decarbonised goods flow. You can download a copy here. Aside from reporting its emissions in the supply chain for 2023, IKEA mentions its membership of, and its collaborative activities with, IAPH. Recent activities include in-person participation in the March IAPH Technical Committee meetings by their global sustainability developer for ocean & air, Varun Vats. IKEA Supply has also contributed to the current research work of the chainPORT supply chain resilience taskforce. Its supply chain team recently visited the ports of Seattle and Tacoma and participated in the TPM24 conference in Long Beach and plans to send a multinational delegation to the IAPH 2024 World Ports Conference in Hamburg. Their business development leader for global ports, Stefan Krattiger, organises two online webinars with ports every year. The next edition will take place on 8 May and the topic will be ports and intermodality, featuring Piraeus Port Authority, COSCO Shipping Lines Greece and Ningbo Port at the 10.00 CEST session, with DP World Southampton and Norfolk Port of Virginia speaking in the 15.00 CEST session. Those regular IAPH member ports interested in taking part should please contact IAPH business development director Nick Blackmore.

 

 

ESPO publishes European Port Investments Study

Last week, in the framework of its annual conference taking place in Paris, the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) launched the results of its Port Investments Study 2024. This study, prepared by Peter de Langen of Ports & Logistics Advisory and based on survey input from 84 ESPO members, reveals that the investment needs of European port authorities amount to €80 billion for the next 10 years, up to 2034. A second key finding is that investments in sustainability and energy transition are becoming the second most important investment category for port authorities. The study shows that next to investments in developing basic port infrastructure and keeping it state-of-the-art, port authorities are increasingly investing to take up strategic and social responsibilities to achieve European ambitions. This often implies projects with a high societal value, yet with slow, low and risky returns on investment. This would justify public support and, according to the report, underlines the need for dedicated port envelopes within the different EU funding instruments – in the first place through the Connecting Europe Facility, or a similar funding instrument. You can download the study here. IAPH vice-president for Europe Stéphane Raison (HAROPA Port) and managing director Patrick Verhoeven attended the Paris conference, which also featured a political discussion on the future EU agenda for ports, in the context of the upcoming European elections.

 

 

Greece joins CEM Hubs

In April, Greece became the seventh nation to join the Clean Energy Ministerial CEM Hubs initiative alongside founders UAE and Canada, as well as Uruguay, Norway, Panama, and Brazil. Led by the International Chamber of Shipping, in collaboration with IAPH, the project will enter into implementation phase in Q3 and aims to provide the maritime and offshore industries with the technical blueprints and tools to de-risk investment decisions in establishing zero- and low-carbon fuel production import and export hubs in and around ports. CEM Hubs partner International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that more than 50% of the trade of zero-carbon fuel will need to be transported by ship from producing to importing countries by 2050.

 

Welcome to new associate member

We are pleased to announce that Quantum BSO & Tech Pvt. Ltd. has joined the IAPH as an associate member. Founded in 2003 with offices in Singapore and Bangalore, Quantum BSO is a transportation and logistics solution provider, specialising in delivering unique IT systems tailored to fit specific organisational needs. These include Quantum’s multipurpose vessel system, strategic consulting service, financial services, training need assessment, software development and IT consulting.

 

World Maritime News

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

  • Panama Canal to increase transit slots and raise draught limits
  • Hong Kong’s competitiveness takes another hit with revamp of alliance connectivity
  • Which ports will win the green fuel race?
  • China looks to lead low-carbon methanol production
  • Slow uptake of green shipping services, but momentum building: Maersk
  • Shippers balk at cost of low-emission products
  • MAN claims its ammonia engine’s N2O emissions are ‘extremely low’
  • Shift to eBLs would mean big cut in carbon emissions: study
  • Hapag-Lloyd widens net amid total shift to electronic bills of lading
  • Data sharing offers scope for just-in-time arrivals

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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