IAPH Insider 27, June 2024

The scale of the challenge to electrify ports using renewable energy sources could be superseded by the regulatory hurdles and the opportunity costs of capital – this was the underlying message at two topical IAPH webinars held earlier this week. The two webinars, entitled ‘Ports and the Electricity conundrum – what will it take to meet demand’, were delivered in collaboration with IAPH’s media partner Mercator Media, and hosted a combined total of close to 200 viewers from the maritime, ports and energy sectors. Speaking on behalf of ports’ ultimate customers, Nelson Mojarro of the International Chamber of Shipping provided context on just how much power would be demanded by ships from ports in the future. Ports and future hubs near ports, which produce green hydrogen from solar and wind renewable energy as well as hydro-electric power, store and then export that fuel by liquid bulk carriers “will become part of a new and unprecedented level of electricity demand,” he predicted. There were presentations by two of the largest global energy integrators for industry – GE Vernova and Schneider Electric – while two major innovators in the sector – Core Power and Natpower Marine – explained their strategic plans. The webinar was rounded off by feedback on the presentations from IAPH members from the ports of Los Angeles, Vancouver, Antwerp-Bruges and Barcelona, all of whom shared their varied experiences in coping with the electricity conundrum when implementing onshore power at berth. A detailed summary of the content from these webinars is available, as are full recordings of the 24 June and 25 June sessions. This topic will be examined in further detail at the upcoming IAPH 2024 World Ports Conference in Hamburg, where three site visits have been arranged by Hamburg Port Authority and organiser Mercator Media for a limited number of attendees to existing onshore power at berth facilities at cruise and container terminals. A fourth visit will focus on the planned HafenCity cruise terminal, currently under construction in the centre of Hamburg.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) held its Shaping the Future of Shipping conference in Montreal 13-14 June. The conference theme, ‘Risk and Resilience in an Age of Disruption,’ covered a variety of subjects, including climate adaptation. IAPH managing director Patrick Verhoeven attended the conference and was invited to contribute to a roundtable discussion on this topic. He explained how the impact of climate change affects ports in various ways and that the vulnerability of ports depends on several factors, including their location. Whereas impacts affect in the first place local populations and economies, the effects could severely impact regional and global trade flows as well, as recent temporary closures of ports and waterways amply demonstrated. Patrick emphasised that port communities in tropical areas are among the most vulnerable. Many of them are in developing countries, including Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States. Some of the IAPH members in these countries face the prospect of losing their port infrastructure, with detrimental effects on the welfare of local populations. As the impacts of climate change will vary, ports need to assess the risks they are exposed to and develop scenario-based strategic plans, integrating adaptation with mitigation measures. Some measures may involve major infrastructure works, such as flood barriers, raising of quay walls and innovative drainage systems. Whereas regulators and investors will require new port projects to be climate-proof, a major challenge lies in upgrading existing infrastructures. Patrick went on to underline that substantial investments are required to make ports climate-resilient. This is especially challenging for ports in developing countries. Some of these ports also have potential to become clean energy marine hubs. This is why IAPH believes that port-related investments in developing countries should be eligible for funding from revenues generated from the market-based measure that the International Maritime Organization is currently considering. Patrick referred in this respect to the major study that IAPH has commissioned to identify climate- and energy-related port investments in selected countries. Results will be presented at the upcoming IMO Intersessional Working Group on GHG emissions. Risk and resilience also shape the agenda of this year’s IAPH World Ports Conference, which will be held in Hamburg 8-10 October.

IAPH technical director Antonis Michail joined the 5th edition of the Green Energy Ports Conference on 18-19 June in Vigo, Spain. The event brought together more than 150 participants from Spanish and other European ports, as well as maritime industry and energy stakeholders, to exchange knowledge on energy transition and ‘blue growth’ strategies in port. Antonis’ active participation in the event involved delivering a keynote speech and moderating two discussion panels. Antonis joined a panel on electrification of ports, to present on the current landscape and remaining challenges related to the deployment of Onshore Power Supply facilities to ports worldwide. He then exchanged views with fellow panellists and the audience during a dedicated discussion moderated by Obdulio Serano from Puerto del Estado. Antonis further moderated a panel discussion on climate neutrality and the European Green Deal, with the participation of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), as well as a second panel on alternative energy and new fuels for ports and the maritime sector, with the participation of the Port of Valencia which shared its projects and vision. The event has been organised biannually by the Port of Vigo, an IAPH member, since its first edition back in 2013, and many IAPH member ports attended the conference, including the ports of Barcelona, Cartagena, Huelva, and Valencia, as well as Hamburg and Riga from elsewhere in Europe.

Irrespective of their geographical location or business model, all ports are subject to the regular scrutiny of their communities in an information world without limits. Many port authorities clearly take their roles as community builders seriously. Since the inception of the IAPH World Ports Sustainability Program in 2018, the theme of community building has scored the highest number of project submissions to the WPSP project database from ports worldwide. Attendees at #IAPH2024, will have a chance to explore how ports can move from a position where they are seen to be defending their activities to a point where their communities actively support the added value they bring economically, socially and from an environmental standpoint. In a breakout session held at 11.45am on 9 October, IAPH communications director Victor Shieh will speak to Grace Rawnsley, director of sustainability and Net Zero transition at the Port of London Authority and Craig Wilson, head of sustainability at the Port of Brisbane, to explore what this role exactly entails, based on best practices from their ports and across the industry. You can register for the conference here.

IAPH’s three core technical committees will meet online in July. The Data Collaboration committee will meet on 2 July (16.00-18.00 CEST), the Risk & Resilience committee will meet on 5 July (16.00-18.00 CEST) and the Climate & Energy committee on 8 July (09.00-11.00 CEST). Invitations have been sent for all three committee meetings, and agenda items and background materials for the Data Collaboration committee have also been shared with participants. Further preparatory information for the Risk & Resilience and the Climate & Energy committees is forthcoming. Members wishing to join these committee meetings who have not received a calendar invite should contact IAPH director (technical committees) Takeshi Suzuki.