The week-long World Maritime University (WMU) Summer Academy on Current Issues in Ports and Terminals Post COVID-19 commenced on 11 September, with a total of 21 professionals from 11 different countries joined the programme.
Professor Max Mejia, WMU President, welcomed the participants noting that ports are an indispensable element for connecting production and consumption and that they play a major role in supporting the global supply chains of today.
“For an economy, it is an important task to fully utilize ports as a strategic asset to join the global supply chain and facilitate trade with other economies,” he said, wishing the participants a fruitful week.
Delivered by a team of WMU faculty, researchers and distinguished guest lecturers, the programme offered an in-depth examination of various facets of port business and management.
WMU Professor Daniel Moon, along with UNCTAD experts; Ms Hassiba Benamara and Mr Mark Assaf, opened the programme and addressed port performance indicators and related challenges during the past years, particularly focusing on operational resilience.
Dr Iven Krämer from Bremen’s Ministry for Economy, Ports & Transformation offered a thorough review of port management and sustainable development, emphasizing the importance of stakeholder management.
The trend towards decarbonization and a port’s role as a green energy hub in the future was presented by WMU Associate Professor; Fabio Ballini, and WMU Adjunct Professor; Pierre Cariou explained the concept of green corridors, exploring industry practice using case studies.
The exponential development of container terminal automation, related driving factors, and its potential relevance to ports of various conditions was presented by WMU Associate Professor; Gang Chen, and WMU Research Assistant; Anas Alamoush conducted a specialized workshop on port energy project development through the lens of stakeholder management.
Through the intellectually stimulating sessions, participants gained both academic insights and real-world perspectives on port related issues. Successful port operations were discussed to inform the development of thriving ports for the future including from the perspective of ports in terms of the land and sea interface, as an industry cluster, as a logistics and information hub, and as a sustainable energy hub.
The port-focused Summer Academy was open to individuals interested in gaining a thorough understanding of port business, management and finance and those interested in acquiring further skills for career development.
The Johor Port Authority (LPJ) of Malaysia provided funds to sponsor seven WMU students, from Eastern Europe and Eastern Africa, who will be graduating in October, to attend the Summer Academy programme.
