A partnership of the world’s leading ports concluded its annual meeting earlier this month.
chainPORT concluded its eighth Annual Meeting on 13 and 14 October at the Port of Gothenburg.
chainPORT is a multilateral group of the world’s leading ports that aims to leverage the latest developments in technology and realise the vision of a smart, interconnected, and digital port-ecosystem.
chainPORT was initiated in April 2016 by the Port Authorities of Hamburg and Los Angeles in collaboration with the Global Institute of Logistics.
The initiative is supported by the ports of Antwerp-Bruges, Barcelona, Busan, Felixstowe, Gothenburg, Indonesia, Montreal, Panama, Rotterdam, Singapore, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Tanger Med.
Following digital meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic, chainPORT partners gathered live this year on discussions including knowledge from within the industry but also from organisations that are part of other sectors that rely on an efficient maritime supply chain.
The agenda covered topics related to new business models in order to address current logistical constraints, sustainable processes to reach decarbonisation goals as well as the use of alternative energy sources to create green corridors.
Experts from the retail sector depicted how businesses are overcoming the current logistical challenges.
Client requests are addressed by using strategies such as rerouting shipping lanes to bypass congested ports.
While welcoming delegates to the event, Elvir Dzanic, CEO Port of Gothenburg commented: “We are pleased and honoured to be a part of chainPORT and to welcome in Gothenburg top level executives of leading ports.
“I look forward to the opportunity to further develop our ambitious agendas on digitalisation and innovation, as well as decarbonisation.”
Gene Seroka, Executive Director Port of Los Angeles stated: “Challenges across our ocean supply chain underscore the importance of chainPORT’s focus on port digitalisation, resilience and energy transition.
“Climate change and technology acceleration add complexity to these areas of focus. chainPORT provides a peer-level forum for information sharing and exploration of initiatives that support the development of smarter, more efficient and sustainable ports.”
A top priority on this year’s agenda was the energy transition within the maritime business.
Shipping line executives present at the meeting offered insights on how digital infrastructure may be used to integrate ships and ports to reach the decarbonisation goals.
The CEO of Stena AB, Carl-Johan Hagman, called for a joint approach during the session: “The joint challenge between shipping companies and ports is to reduce the 1 billion tons of CO2 that the ocean transportation industry emits. Expanding the electrical grid and increasing the supply of electricity in ports is the best and quickest way to meaningfully reduce our emissions.”
Jens Meier, CEO Hamburg Port Authority stated: “Port authority heads are dedicated to moving forward and creating efficient, resilient, and green ports.
“This year’s chainPORT Annual Meeting has been instrumental in showcasing how the collaboration between port authorities and their customers contributes to closing the gaps resulting from continuously disrupted supply chains.”
