Mercator to launch new conference to break down silos between ports and shipowners

The company’s latest initiative to help deal with this is Green Ports & Shipping Congress – Reducing Emissions Together, to be held in Singapore on 6-7 March 2024.

Caring for the environment by reducing emissions is a priority for businesses across the ports and terminals communities. While a number of organisations and events are focusing on this specific agenda within the port and shipping communities. But practically, neither group can achieve their objectives without working together or without the direct co-operation of the other.

Mercator can offer a unique insight into the requirements of both, as a publisher of sector specific publications, Port Strategy, GreenPort as well as The Motorship, and as a producer of the long-running conferences GreenPort Congress and Propulsion & Future Fuel. 

Cross-cutting themes

The first objective of Congress will be to identify and prioritise the areas that port-based organisations and shipping companies need to work together on, for their mutual advantage, to reduce emissions. The second will be to produce a concrete action plan/shared best practices charter going forward, as statement of intent, for all interested parties going forward.

The audience will include policy makers; ports and terminal operators, shipping companies; shippers and logistics companies; fuel and propulsion providers; classification societies and associated decarbonisation clusters. 

The programme will cover all aspects of energy transition plans and implementation as they affect port operations and ships. Sessions and streams will address the required infrastructure, bunkering, technical solutions and how these align with the shipping lines and logistics chains. Practically, one of the key agenda items will address Green Corridors and the key role Singapore has in developing these as one of the world’s greatest hubs. 

Industry Support

The initiative is receiving support from the International Association of Ports & Harbors (IAPH), BIMCO and a multilateral platform, the Blue Visby Solution. 

Established in November 1955, IAPH is a global alliance of ports, representing today some 168 ports and 134 port-related businesses in 84 countries. The member ports together handle well over 60% of the world’s sea-borne trade and over 60% of the world container traffic.

BIMCO is the world’s largest direct-membership organisation for shipowners, charterers, shipbrokers and agents. BIMCO is an organisation and global shipping community of over 2,000 members in around 130 countries. BIMCO members cover 62% of the global fleet and consist of local, global, small, and large companies

The Blue Visby Solution is a neutral and independent multilateral platform aimed at reducing shipping GHG emissions by about 15% by eradicating the practice of “Sail Fast, then Wait” . It comprises software and algorithms, an operational system, a sharing mechanism and a contractual architecture. Since its launch in 2022, the Consortium has grown to about 30 participants, including organisations, shipowners, charterers, traders, shippers, or receivers of cargo from around the world.