Since 2020, a major overhaul of the structure and format of the IAPH Technical Committees has taken place. Following two and a half years of mostly online meetings, the time has now come to meet in person. As experienced in Vancouver last year, the World Ports Conference does not leave much time for proper in-depth discussions. With the conference moving to autumn, we now propose to organise dedicated ‘Technical Committee Days’ in spring, which corresponds to this new schedule. Given the presence of IMO and our colleagues of the international maritime community, London came out as a suitable venue, also considering its global air connectivity. We are therefore pleased to announce that the first IAPH Technical Committee Days will be held 18-20 April, at the offices of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), which are located in the City of London, near Tower Bridge. Members of the IAPH Technical Committees received the preliminary schedule earlier this week. It features dedicated sessions on specific themes of the IAPH work programme. Rather than having the traditional, separate meeting agendas, we aim to stimulate dialogue between the committees and their members during the days, both in plenary and break-out sessions. On the last day, each committee will have a dedicated meeting slot to decide on action points and set its own agenda going forward. We are also inviting guests from IMO, ICS and other relevant organisations to some of the sessions. IAPH Technical Committee members are warmly invited to save the dates. We will follow-up shortly with a detailed programme and registration form. The option to follow sessions remotely will be available, but we of course much rather see members in person in London!
