A diverse mix of first-time winners and familiar names took home the prizes in an exceptional field
IAPH is delighted to announce the winners of the #IAPH2026 Sustainability Awards following a gala awards dinner at the IAPH 2026 World Ports Conference, which took place at the Natural History Museum in London, the United Kingdom.
From the 66 projects submitted, 7 ports walked away with 6 category awards and 1 special award. This year, the recipients came from East Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania.
In the six categories open to public vote there were inaugural wins for Dublin Port Company, Port of Los Angeles and Port Authority of Thailand, while Hamburg Port Authority (a winner in 2021 and 2022) took home its third award, and Port of Açu (2020, 2021 [2], 2024) and Port of Busan (2019, 2023, 2025) both celebrated a fourth win at the event. Indeed, this was the fourth consecutive year in which a port from the Republic of Korea secured an award, reflecting a continuing culture of sustainability and innovation.
Ports Authority of Tonga made its debut on the podium, taking home the Akiyama Award – a special award made to the highest rated project submitted by a Least Developed Country or a Small Island Developing States as evaluated by the IAPH Jury.
IAPH technical director Antonis Michail commented: “The quality of the entries we received this year exceeded all previous editions, making this arguably the most competitive year in the history of the IAPH Sustainability Awards. The winning ports can therefore consider themselves justly proud of emerging victorious in such a high-quality field. Equally, this presented a challenge to the 15 members of our expert jury who had to decide which projects should receive recognition, and to the public, who had to decide where to cast their precious votes.
“The growth of WPSP database, which has grown to 587 projects from 202 countries, shows no sign of abating – it is firmly established as the global reference framework and database for sustainability initiatives in the port and maritime sector.”
The winning Infrastructure candidate Dublin Port Company – Berth 53 Project delivers capacity and sustainability with a RoRo berth, double-tier linkspan, onshore-power readiness, and an eco-friendly open piled jetty.
Port of Los Angeles’ Carbon Intensity Gateway, which takes the Digitalization award, combines logistics, emissions, and environmental data. This platform serves as a single source of truth for port-related emissions.
The Hamburg Port Authority has implemented the Road Energy Production System (REPS) and wins the Climate and Energy award. The first-of-its-kind road power plant transforms port traffic into a source of renewable energy. The system scalably and efficiently harvests otherwise lost kinetic energy from passing vehicles.
Port Authority of Thailand’s project – Klongtoey Symphony: Empowering Youth through the Harmony of Music – is a unique one and takes the Community Building award. It supports marginalized young people through musical training, building crucial life skills and creating sustainable social impact.
Port of Açu – and it’s Water Stewardship as a Driver of Resilient Industrial Growth – takes the Environmental Care Award. The port’s Water Supply Master Plan projects water demand to 2050 and evaluates diverse supply alternatives, supporting infrastructure development and industrial expansion.
Busan Port Authority’s Standardizing Mooring Operations project has won the Health Safety and Security Award. Its mooring safety management system has strengthened capacity, standardised operational practices, and connected policy, institutions, and field operations.
There will be further coverage of the winning projects in IAPH’s membership publication, Ports & Harbors.
Contact: Victor Shieh, Membership and Networks Director
Email: [email protected]
