The International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA) will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2021 after forming in June 2011.
In a statement released by the association it said that in 2021 the focus will be on digital transformation in sea and air ports, and on standardisation through collaboration with the international standards bodies.
IPCSA said it continues to support not only the standardisation but the harmonisation that will benefit the whole logistics chain. Sea and Air Port Community Systems, as well as Single Windows, are developing at an even faster pace than we were seeing previously; this has been one of the positive outcomes of this unprecedented year.
During 2020, the association welcomed eight new members from around the world. 2020 also saw PROTECT, the Port Message Design Group, successfully integrated into IPCSA.
Speaking on the events of 2020, IPCSA said, “We have noted a real change of mindset globally. No more debating as to whether a PCS or digital transformation should be adopted in sea and airport environments – just the question of how soon and how quickly.”
In June 2011, the association was formed and held its first conference in Brussels as the European Port Community Systems Association, with six founding members. Only three years later, in 2014, IPCSA became an international association.
“Our growth since then has been phenomenal; we now have almost 50 members, covering over 500 sea ports, airports and border crossings around the world, and we represent not only Port Community Systems Operators but also Sea and Air Port Authorities, and Single Window Operators. 2021 will see the continuing rollout of the IPCSA Network of Trusted Networks (NoTN) and the expansion of this innovative solution beyond its original 15 countries, 42 sea ports and ten airports,” the statement said.
