IAPH Insider 28 November 2024

This edition covers:

 

This week’s Insider highlight with Rhona Macdonald:

 

 

Register for next week’s agenda-setting Harbor Cafés

Next week, IAPH members will have their say on what topics they want to see covered during the association’s 2025 webinar programme. Two Harbor Café events – held on 3 December (1000-1100 Central European Time) and 4 December (1700-1800 Central European Time) – will feature contributions by senior experts for their views on the hottest topics within the World Ports Sustainability Program themes of climate and energy, environmental care, digitalisation, infrastructure, community building and health, safety and security. During the Harbor Café event, members will be able to vote on which subjects under each category would be of greatest interest for further development in 2025 – both at the IAPH Harbor Café sessions and World Ports Conference webinars, ahead of #IAPH2025 in Kobe. To register for the 3 December event click here and 4 December event click here; the times have been chosen to offer members the maximum convenience across time zones.

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Access and update IAPH’s new Membership Directory

A new IAPH Membership Directory is now live in the member’s area of the IAPH website, providing users with greater interactivity, convenience and timely information. The new directory, which can be accessed here, succeeds the previous paper edition, following extensive feedback on the product received during consultation last year. Accessible only to members via the password-protected member’s area of the IAPH site, the new directory also reduces effort and inconvenience by providing members with a ‘one-stop shop‘ to input critical information directly to the IAPH database, rather than responding to email queries and survey requests from the association. Members are invited to access the directory and ensure their information is up to date. To help members get familiar with the new directory, there is a video with audio guidance and a PDF manual available in the members area. Members will also find access instructions – along with a handy QR code – included with their IAPH Christmas card, which will arrive in the post in the coming weeks. Any questions on accessing the member’s area of our website should be directed to IAPH membership director Shinobu Yamamoto. Any questions on accessing and updating the Membership Directory should be directed to publications and database manager Fumiko Yamaji.

 

 

IAPH opens its BlueSky account

IAPH has opened an account on BlueSky – a social channel that has gained traction in recent months – and will be posting selected content alongside its existing accounts on LinkedIN, X/Twitter and Facebook. Readers can follow the account here. The IAPH LinkedIN account recently surpassed the 9,000 follower mark, with the World Ports Sustainability Program account on the same platform heading towards 6,000 users. Both accounts have become a leading source of up-to-date news about members and initiatives and we encourage Insider readers to follow them, to stay up to speed on the association’s latest developments.

 

New Climate and Energy Steering Group meets

As part of the integration of the World Ports Climate Action Program (WPCPAP) in IAPH, a middle governance layer has been established between the Climate and Energy Committee and the respective technical working groups: the Climate and Energy Steering Group (SG), which held its first meeting on 26 November. The SG will guide the IAPH input to the IMO Marine Environment and Protection Committee (MEPC), and will strategically advise on the IAPH technical work, providing direction to the existing working groups and identifying new emerging workstreams. The SG is chaired by Edvard Molitor (Port of Gothenburg), the newly appointed chair of the climate and energy committee, with the candidature of Fernanda Sossai (Port of Açu) as vice chair pending approval by the IAPH Board. On its first meeting, the SG agreed on its method of work, agenda and participation principles and had a good discussion over the organisation and prioritisation of technical work under IAPH after the integration of the WPCAP working streams on Port Readiness Levels and Onshore Power Supply. In addition, the SG reflected on the forthcoming 2025 IMO GHG meetings and discussed the organisation of the IAPH input in the process. The next meeting of the SG will take place on 17 December with the priorities under the 2025 IAPH technical work program at the heart of its agenda. 

 

Countdown to #IAPH2025: the dawn of containerisation

The founding of IAPH in Los Angeles in 1955 saw the adoption of a constitution stipulating that the association’s World Ports Conference take place every three years. Therefore, readers may be confused by the accompanying photo of the next edition of the conference – held in Mexico – which proudly identifies it as the Second Triennial Conference… in 1959. This is because economic difficulties in the original host nation meant that the conference had to be delayed by a year while a new site was selected. Also, while this was the third conference overall, it was the second within the association’s envisaged triennial cycle. Held in Mexico City in June, the 1959 conference was opened by the country’s president, Adolfo López Mateos, and attended by 191 participants from 13 countries, including new additions such as France and Australia. Insider readers can view and zoom in on an impressive group image of the conference delegation here. Although containerisation was still in its infancy, the conference was a milestone in recognizing its significance for global ports. The topic was addressed via the newly formed Committee on Port Administration and Utilization (the other key committee was focused on Commerce and International Relations) and via many of the 22 papers presented at the event. A proposal for honorary membership was passed and an executive committee was established to handle association matters between conferences. Despite some unexpected delays, IAPH was making small but significant changes that brought it closer to the organisation we know today.

 

 

World Bank holds an internal PCS roundtable with IAPH

On Tuesday, the World Bank Group held an internal webinar ‘Port Community Systems – Facilitating trade in the 21st Century’ to promote the recently-published report jointly developed by the Bank with IAPH. Mona Haddad, global director (trade, investment and competitiveness) and Nicolas Peltier-Thiberge (global director, transport) provided opening remarks from the World Bank on the role of Port Community Systems (PCS) in the context of trade facilitation and supply chain resilience. IAPH managing director Patrick Verhoeven emphasised that trust between stakeholders and political commitment were proven key success factors in a well-implemented PCS. Report co-author and senior trade facilitation specialist Satya Prasad Sahu summarised the report and senior private sector specialist Perikilis Saragiotis explained the main benefits of a PCS to a developing country. Key case studies were provided by Dwain Powell, PCS director and vice president at IAPH member Port Authority of Jamaica and by Iwan van der Wolf, CEO at Dutch associate member Portbase. Sebastien Dessus (practice manager, trade) provided closing remarks. The session was moderated by Jan Hoffmann of UNCTAD, who will join the World Bank in Washington next year. Readers can find the World Bank report here.

 

 

Taking an international perspective on cybersecurity

IAPH business development director Nick Blackmore gave the association’s perspective at IMO HQ on 14 November during the University of Plymouth Cyber-SHIP Lab Symposium on Maritime Cybersecurity and Resilience. Speaking on an ‘International Perspectives’ panel moderated by Chloe Rowland, maritime cyber projects and key partner relationships manager at University of Plymouth, Nick highlighted the IAPH Cyber Guidelines for Ports and Ports Facilities as well as the association’s recent FAL and MSC submissions focusing on safeguarding the cybersecurity of the Maritime Single Window and revising guidelines on maritime cyber risk management. He also referred delegates at the symposium to recordings of the recent IAPH cybersecurity-focused webinars on ‘Preparing for the inevitable’. Nick was joined on the panel by Jungo Shibata (NYK Business Systems Europe), Lars Benjamin Vold (NORMA Cyber), Arthur Piquée-Audrain (Bureau Veritas) and Steve Kwan (USCG).

 

IMO

 

New report moves the needle on port resilience

A new report on port resilience, with contributions from IAPH, is available. Resilience4Ports: Moving the Needle on Port Resilience was launched by the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan in mid-November. The report, which can be downloaded here, highlights examples of scalable solutions, approaches and tangible actions being taken by port actors around the world to lower their carbon footprint and make their infrastructure and operations more resilient to climate change, while taking steps to enhance the resilience of communities and coastal and marine ecosystems.

 

 

The Hood aims to make maritime connections

A new maritime social application has been launched. The Hood is a social media application, designed specifically for the maritime industry, that aims to connect seafarers and maritime professionals, providing a platform for networking, sharing experiences, and accessing career resources. Engineers can create dedicated groups to swap technical know-how, deck officers can discuss navigation and regulations, and cadets can find mentors. Starting with a dual social/professional profile feature, the platform will offer a free career hub page for users, the ability to store and share CV and documents directly, dedicated online centres for wellbeing support, e-learning, and a news section. Insider readers can find out more here.

 

Welcome to two new associate members

IAPH is pleased to announce two new associate members. NatPower Marine is a specialized company focused on accelerating the energy transition in the global maritime sector. As part of the NatPower Group, the company brings more than two decades of expertise in clean power generation and distribution to address the unique challenges of the maritime industry. NatPower Marine comprises a team of renewable energy and maritime specialists that leverage their extensive experience to provide clean energy infrastructure solutions for the maritime sector, including onshore, at anchorage, and offshore locations. Ortelius is a software company based in Antwerp, Belgium, specialising in microservice management tools. The company’s digital platform connects ports, storage providers, and cargo planners to increase the utilization of port storage space globally; by optimizing existing infrastructure, users avoid new construction costs. The company’s matchmaking software enhances efficiency in the global logistics community, saving time, costs, and resources while fostering new collaborations and multimodal corridors.

 

 

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:

  • CMA CGM blames ultra-large containerships as culprit for global port congestion
  • Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd drop Felixstowe from new Gemini network
  • Should regulation even try to catch up with cyber security threats?
  • Experts highlight challenges curbing China’s green methanol progress
  • Hong Kong unveils incentive scheme to boost green bunkering ambition
  • Shipping energy transition hindered by missing links in green fuel supply chain
  • 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

  • 28 November – IAPH Data Collaboration Committee – online
  • 29 November – ESI Stakeholder Assembly (Incentive Providers) – online
  • 2-6 December – IMO Maritime Safety Committee 109 – London
  • 3-4 December – Harbor Cafes – online
  • 17 December – Risk & Resilience Committee – online
  • 26-28 March – Technical Committee Days – London
  • 7-9 October – IAPH World Ports Conference – Kobe
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