Resilience is key to decarbonise ports

That’s according to a new report from The Resilience Shift which cautions that a whole-systems approach is needed before a resilient port transformation can be achieved.

“Resilience can be the golden threat to unite the multiple transformations the ports industry is currently going through,” said Mark Button, Resilience4Ports project founder.

“By enhancing the resilience of ports we can transform multiple systems, including transport, industry, energy and, importantly, the people whose livelihoods dependent on ports.”

Significant barriers

Launched in July 2020, phase one of the Resilience4Ports project brought together over 30 organisations from across the ports-value chain to identify the current and future resilience challenges facing the ports ecosystem and the actions needed to realise resilience opportunities and overcome resilience threats.

The new report, ‘Resilience4Ports: Gateways to a resilient future’ identifies 36 current and future resilience challenges facing ports and examines the four main drivers of change: Decarbonisation, technological change, ports communities and the environment impacting the ports ecosystem.

It reveals four areas for action in order to enhance the resilience of ports. The first is that ports can learn lessons from Covid-19 and Brexit on how ports they should respond to shocks and stresses so the industry can better respond to future crises.

Secondly, it identifies the need to develop guidance for an integrated approach to intersecting port transformations and resilience challenges.

The third point concludes that port investment that enhances whole system resilience and increases flow of finance to where it is most needed needs to be better promoted.

Lastly, there is a need to convene the ports value chain to understand and shape resilience including port specific resilience appraisal and enhancements going forward.

The report finds that embracing resilience can unite action on the main transformations the port industry is currently going through but also create new vulnerabilities. It also found that there is a fragmented nature to both port governance and the approach to the multiple transformative agendas.

Phase two of the Resilience4Ports project will see The Resilience Shift work with pre-existing ports initiatives to collaborate on overcoming barriers to resilience and turn the recommendations from phase one into actions.