IAPH technical director Antonis Michail visited Ireland in April to promote IAPH’s work and strengthen the association’s relationships with Irish ports. Antonis visited IAPH member Belfast Harbour to discuss further engagement and held fruitful meetings with the ports of Dublin and Cork, guiding them through the benefits of returning to the IAPH network as regular members. On 17 April, Antonis participated in a panel discussion on Sustainable Alternative Fuels for transport during the 2024 edition of the Transport Research Arena conference – the largest European research and technology conference on transport and mobility – organised by the European Commission. Antonis highlighted the work and safety toolkit of the Clean Marine Fuels (CMF) working group and the ongoing development of the Port Readiness Level for Marine Fuels (PRL MF) assessment tool, jointly with the World Ports Climate Action Program (WPCAP). Joined by colleagues from both the maritime transport and aviation sectors, as well as the European Commission, Antonis reflected on challenges and opportunities of sustainable alternative fuels, with a focus on technology, research, infrastructure and policy aspects. On 22 and 23 April, Antonis joined the UNCTAD Train For Trade (TFT) train-the-trainer sessions for port professionals in the English-speaking network of TFT. He facilitated a Port Endeavor session for 40 port participants, primarily from Africa, Oceania and South East Asia, together with UNCTAD TFT team partners. Once again, the participants affirmed Port Endeavor as an excellent tool for training world port professionals on sustainability and the application of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in ports.
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