As the 1980s drew to a close, IAPH’s work reflected a period of increasing digitalisation and environmental stewardship. In 1989, the Association’s conference returned to the United States for the first time in more than a decade. That April, 700 delegates from 66 countries gathered at the Fontainebleau Hilton Hotel in Miami Beach under the theme of ‘The Intercontinental Connection.’ This focus on connections was appropriate, as the world was becoming increasingly networked, thanks to the rapid growth in digital technology. The conference program included discussions on electronic data interchange (EDI) systems, emphasizing the importance of utilizing technology to enhance port efficiency. While the Miami event marked the long-awaited return of the conference to the United States, the Association itself had helped organise a major event in the country just half a year earlier – it contributed $20,000 towards the organization of an IMO Workshop on the Environmental Impact Assessment of Port Development, held in Baltimore. This organisational focus on the environment carried through to the 1991 edition of the conference, held in Barcelona with the support of His Royal Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain, The event saw the passing of a resolution on the environment, focusing on three key areas: environmental planning and management, dangerous goods, and water pollution impacts on port development and operations. The association recommended that each member port include ‘an environmental as well as an economic context’ to its operational decision making. The resolution would lead to the creation of IAPH environmental guidelines that were introduced at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Earth Summit in 1992. Foreshadowing the technical visits of the present-day conference, sessions at the Barcelona edition also took place aboard Eugenio Costa – a masterpiece of 1960s cruise vessel design – and involved visits to ports in the Balearic Islands. This would have proven an attractive element of the conference programme – but then, what better way to remind delegates of their collective duty to the marine environment than to provide them with a dazzling reminder of its beauty?
Delegates attend the opening of the 1991 IAPH Conference at the Palau de la Música Catalana
