This edition covers:
- This week’s Insider highlight with Rhona Macdonald
- Port professionals head for Hamburg #IAPH2024!
- Proposals submitted as MEPC 82 continues
- Investment needed for equitable energy infrastructure
- Future fuels tools presented at CEM Hubs event
- Tackling the cyber risks of emerging technology
- Island port sustainability on the agenda in Crete
- Celebrating World Maritime Day
- IAPH VP C-S America speaks at TOC Americas in Panama
- Bentley Systems looks to IAPH for port focus
- Jan Hoffman moving to World Bank
- Assessing digital evolution in container shipping
- Welcome to a new regular member
- Member Port News
- World Maritime News
- Calendar of Events
This week’s Insider highlight with Rhona Macdonald
Port professionals head for Hamburg #IAPH2024!
Nearly 600 port and supply chain professionals will head to Hamburg next week for the IAPH World Ports Conference 2024, taking place 8-10 October at the Hamburg Congress Centre (CCH). #IAPH2024 is a unique global forum for port professionals, giving delegates the opportunity to learn about critical topics such as the new business models for ports, approaches to combating illicit trade, and pathways to a Net Zero maritime ecosystem. IAPH is delighted to announce Erika-Kirsten Easton of Transport Canada as a new speaker for day three of #IAPH2024. In an in-depth interview, Erika-Kirsten – who is chief data officer and director general, Enterprise Service, Data and Architecture for Transport Canada – will speak about anticipating and mitigating digital risk while embracing the technological revolution in the maritime transport chain. Erika-Kirsten joins a stellar line-up of speakers and panellist that includes IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez and MSC CEO Søren Toft, who will deliver the keynote addresses on day one. There is still time to secure a delegate place at the conference. Learn more here.
Erika-Kirsten Easton
Proposals submitted as MEPC 82 continues
Investment needed for equitable energy infrastructure
As discussions on a mid-term market-based measure took place at the intersessional meeting of the IMO Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 17), a document was submitted by IAPH to the IMO presenting the findings of a study it commissioned from Maritime & Transport Business Solutions (MTBS) on the port climate adaptation and decarbonisation investment needs of developing nations. The study explored the current state of port adaptation and decarbonisation infrastructure in developing nations, with case studies from Brazil, India, Indonesia, Kenya and the Solomon Islands, and identified the investments needed to ensure a fair and equitable transition. You can read more about the study here.
Future fuels tools presented at CEM Hubs event
IAPH’s suite of new future fuels resources was showcased on 2 October at the dedicated CEM Hubs event during the Clean Energy Ministerial Meeting (CEM15), which supports the G20 Energy Transition Agenda, in Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil. Speaking on behalf of IAPH, Eduardo Kantz, ESG and institutional relations officer of Prumo Logística (the holding company of Porto do Açu), previewed the forthcoming launch of the first digital version of the Port Readiness Level for Marine Fuels (PRL-MF) self-assessment tool, which is scheduled to take place next week in Hamburg during the World Ports Conference on 9 October. Eduardo outlined the features of the tool, which was developed by IAPH in partnership with the World Ports Climate Action Program (WPCAP) and Mission Innovation, and he explained the potential for further development phases led by IAPH and its partners as part of their contribution to the CEM Hubs initiative work programme. These include the development of two additional checklists for port readiness assessment next to the current one for bunkering ports, one for ports getting ready to accommodate calls by vessels propelled by low- and zero-carbon fuels, and one for calls by vessels transporting these fuels as cargo. At the event in Brazil, CEM Hubs welcomed the government of Greece to the initiative, joining the governments of Brazil, UAE, Canada, Norway, Uruguay and Panama, as supporters of this cross sectoral public-private platform. The World Economic Forum’s Transitioning Industrial Clusters initiative now also joins the CEM Hubs as supporting organisation, as do ABS, Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub and OCIMF. The CEM Hubs initiative will be meeting directly with energy ministers at the Clean Energy Ministerial Meeting this week in Brazil to agree on the implementation of the work programme.
Tackling the cyber risks of emerging technology
At the IAPH Cybersecurity Expert Group meeting on 17 September, a key focus was the launch of the development of the IAPH Cybersecurity Guidelines for Emerging Technologies in the Maritime Supply Chain. These guidelines will outline the new cyber risks posed by emerging technologies within the port industry, as well as the innovative cybersecurity solutions they provide. The various aspects of the guidelines which were discussed in the meeting were: scope, target audience, main chapters, related documents as input source, work program, timeline and chapter leaders/contributors. The group also examined which emerging technologies to cover in the guidelines, with AI, automation, IoT, 5G, drones and green energy identified as critical areas on which to focus. The discussion was partially driven by polling conducted during the recent IAPH webinars focused on how ports can prepare themselves against cyber-attack. If you are interested in joining the international group of experts who will collaborate in developing these guidelines, please reach out to IAPH Data Collaboration Committee vice-chairman Gadi Benmoshe.
Island port sustainability on the agenda in Crete
IAPH technical director Antonis Michail attended the joint MEDPorts Association and Hellenic Ports Association seminar on island ports, kindly hosted by IAPH member Heraklion Port Authority in Crete. Antonis joined the 20 September panel on ‘Sustainability of Passenger Traffic in Island Ports’, where he highlighted selected sustainability projects submitted by island ports to the WPSP projects database, to demonstrate and discuss their key priorities. Antonis further referred to the work of the IAPH Cruise Committee and the possibilities for sustainability accreditation and the Environmental Ship Index At Berth pilot project that is available to cruise ports and vessels. The panel was moderated by Theodora Riga, chief commercial officer and director of strategic communications of the Port of Thessaloniki, and also featured Pino Musolino, the president of MEDPorts Association and president of Ports of Rome, as well as representatives from the port authorities of Corfu and Heraklion, the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport, and Escola Europea Italia.
Celebrating World Maritime Day
Late last month, the IMO marked 50 years since the adoption of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) – the world’s most important treaty for the safety of merchant ships – on World Maritime Day 2026. IAPH managing director Patrick Verhoeven was present among the many invited government and industry guests at the celebration event, held on 26 September at IMO HQ in London. This year’s theme for World Maritime Day was ‘Navigating the future: Safety first!’ and it aims to recognise that despite a changing environment, safety remains paramount, whether it pertains to seafarers handling new green fuels, safeguarding passengers in the latest cruise ships, regulating AI-managed autonomous ships or ensuring cybersecurity in a digital world.
IAPH VP C-S America speaks at TOC Americas in Panama
Yesterday during the TOC24 Americas conference in Panama, IAPH vice-president for Central and South America Vinicius Patel took to the podium during the plenary session “Energy Transition – how to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions” to present the work of Port of Açu and its masterplan to develop Low-Carbon Hydrogen and Derivatives Hub. The project, which is the first in Brazil to obtain a environmental permit for a low-carbon industrial cluster is one of the many projects submitted by Port of Açu to the World Ports Sustainability Program. For more information click here.
Bentley Systems looks to IAPH for port focus
The infrastructure, engineering and software company Bentley Systems has been running an internal webinar series ‘Together towards tomorrow’ where various experts are being invited to discuss sustainability in different sectors. Earlier this month, the focus of this series turned to ports and IAPH technical director Antonis Michail was a guest speaker. During the 19 September webinar, Antonis was joined by Dr. Darshana Godaliyadde, director of Resilience4Ports at the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure, and Leif Johnson, senior solution manager, cities at Bentley Systems. Antonis presented the IAPH work on sustainability to more than 70 participants, highlighting the key initiatives under the World Ports Sustainability Program. Various Bentley technologies and solutions, primarily targeting digitalization and sustainable infrastructure, are successfully being implemented in world ports, as Leif highlighted in his presentation, and Antonis further encouraged the Bentley team colleagues to liaise with the ports in question and share these best practice cases via the WPSP projects database.
Jan Hoffman moving to World Bank
After three decades with the UN, Jan Hoffman head, trade logistics at UNCTAD is leaving his role to join the World Bank as global lead for maritime transport and trade and transit facilitation in the organisation’s Transport Global Department. Based in Washington DC, Jan’s role will be to work with the global and regional teams to support World Bank client countries to reform and expand investment in their port sector, advance digitalization, and improve cross-border trade and transit. He will also lead global analytics work on port performance and reform, work closely with the Bank’s Trade Department to advance its joint work on transit facilitation and port reforms, and lead the Bank’s international partnership on matters related to maritime and transit facilitation. Jan has served as a judge of the IAPH Sustainability Awards on several occasions and will be a panellist on the plenary session ‘Towards a Just and Equitable Maritime Energy Transition’ held at 14.15pm on 9 October at the World Ports Conference. IAPH collaborates with both UNCTAD and the World Bank on a number of key initiatives.
Assessing digital evolution in container shipping
The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) has released ‘The State of the Industry 2024 – Insights on Digital Evolution in Container Shipping’, a comprehensive study exploring the progress made, the challenges faced, and the role of standards in driving change. The report contains insights from 400 senior decision-makers and in-depth interviews, offering a 360-degree view of how digitalisation is reshaping the container shipping landscape. The report can be downloaded here. DCSA is a partner in the Supply Chain Resilience Task Force (SCRTF) led by IAPH and chainPORT in collaboration with TIC 4.0 and IPCSA.
Welcome to a new regular member
We are pleased to announce that the Port of Ravenna Authority has joined the IAPH as a regular member. The Port of Ravenna Authority operates to direct, plan, coordinate, promote and control port operations and other commercial and industrial activities carried out in the port. It also administers the maritime assets of the state, maintains the seabed, constructs large port infrastructures financed by the state, and guarantees the ordinary and extraordinary maintenance of the common parts. Formally named Autorità di Sistema Portuale del Mare Adriatico Centro Settentrionale – Porto di Ravenna, the Port of Ravenna is the main port of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, which faces the Adriatic Sea. Due to its strategic geographical position, the port is seen as a leader in Italy for trade with the markets of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It also plays an important role in trading with the Middle East and Asia.
Member Port News
You can find the latest overview of news from IAPH member ports on the dedicated Member Ports News page on our website.
World Maritime News
These maritime news stories made the headlines over the past two weeks:
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- MSC to challenge Maersk with new Aarhus terminal
- Over half of cargo owners blame box carriers for holding back digitalization, survey finds
- Red Sea crisis remains chief driver of containership demand growth says BIMCO
- Terminal operators eye MPP investments
- Typhoon aftermath in China drives global port congestion to highest level outside pandemic
- Ammonia-fuelled containership designs jockey for adoption
- MOL invests in US e-fuel producer HIF
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
- 7 October – IAPH Board and Council meetings – Hamburg
- 8-10 October – IAPH World Ports Conference – Hamburg
- 9 October – IAPH Board meeting – Hamburg
- 10 October – IAPH Annual General Meeting – Hamburg
- 15 October – Green Marine Europe – Brussels
- 23-25 October – GreenPort Congress & Cruise – Le Havre
- 29-31 October – Ports Australia Biennial Conference – Hobart
- 5-6 November – SmartPorts – Barcelona
- 28 November – IAPH Data Collaboration Committee – online
- 2-6 December – IMO Maritime Safety Committee 109 – London