Risk & Resilience

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, IAPH set up a COVID-19 Taskforce composed of some of the world’s leading port experts in operations and crisis management, combined with specialists called upon to make contributions from the IMO, World Bank and members of the International Association of Maritime Economists.

 

It met on a weekly basis during the peak of the first wave across the planet from April to July 2020, providing regular status updates, summarizing the impact of COVID-19 on ports after surveying global ports on a regular basis, creating over sixteen economic impact barometer reports for IAPH members and other stakeholders. This report is ongoing on a monthly basis and available to members.

 

The group of experts also formulated a guidance document for ports on immediate operational, governance and communication measures to deal effectively with the pandemic, measures to protect business and financial returns, how to support clients, stakeholders and the wider port community, and a concrete structured back-to-work planning for ports based on the first countries’ experiences emerging out of lockdown.

 

Additional IAPH port experts in business continuity and crisis management have now joined COVID-19 Taskforce members, establishing IAPH’s Risk and Resilience Technical Committee.

 

 

 

The main aims of the committee are to support IAPH membership with:

• A set of guidelines for ports to use when setting out their business continuity strategy

 

• A global port resilience tracker which will serve as a long-term successor to the COVID-19 economic impact barometer

 

• A database of best practices structured by risk and resilience categories

 

• A risk and resilience survey of ports to establish and prioritize the needs of the IAPH membership in terms of support for business continuity and crisis management

 

• Collaboration with PIANC on active steps to take following Navigating a Changing Climate survey of world ports on the impact of extreme weather events

 

• Development with the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network of a Port Integrity Index

 

The committee is also engaging in capacity building with both climate and energy and data collaboration committees where activities overlap, as are the cases for example of cybersecurity and extreme weather.

 

 

Meetings and Public Sessions:

1^st Meeting　10 November 2020
2^nd Meeting　25 February 2021
3^rd Meeting　22 April 2021
World Ports Conference 2021 – Risk and Resilience Public Session　22 June 2021
4^th Meeting　7 July 2021
5^th Meeting　28 September 2021
6^th Meeting　14 December 2021
7^th Meeting　19 May 2022