The IAPH World Ports Conference returned to Hamburg in 2024, less than a decade after its most recent visit, but it could scarcely be said that ports faced a similar operational environment or priorities. The secretary general of the IMO, Arsenio Dominguez, assured the assembled professionals that the ports sector was being listened to in the discussions of pricing emissions from global shipping. Meanwhile, the development around IAPH’s various sustainability tools and initiatives continued. The event saw the integration of the World Ports Climate Action Program (WPCAP) into the IAPH Climate & Energy technical committee. It also saw the launch of the first digital version of the Port Readiness Level for Marine Fuels self-assessment tool created following work by the IAPH Clean Marine Fuels Working Group, WPCAP and Mission Innovation’s Zero Emission Shipping Mission. The conference, hosted by Hamburg Port Authority – where IAPH president Jens Meier is CEO – was another great success. MSC chief executive Soren Toft reflected on how the efficiency and productivity of the ports sector would help to build a more resilient and sustainable industry – helping to serve vessels more effectively. “I think ports are sometimes undervalued in the supply chain,” he observed, “but we really value the work that you do.” IAPH’s work programme had certainly altered significantly following the constitutional changes of 2016, with managing director Patrick Verhoeven leading a European team that had taken responsibility for policy, strategy, communications and business development. With a formal address in London through a partnership with British Ports Association, the team works in close cooperation with the team at the Tokyo office, which is responsible for finance and membership administration.
