Under the banner theme of “City of Hamburg – Calling at the smartPORT” the conference host, the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), will take a fresh look at the importance of sustainability in the maritime industry and demonstrate, on the example of the Port of Hamburg, how intelligent port management helps to strike a balance between the needs of business and the environment.
During the five-day conference, two work sessions will be dedicated to discussing the ecological aspects of port management: In the sessions on “smartPORT” and “Clean Air in Ports”,participants will explore measures to reduce energy consumption and emissions in ports. The Port of Hamburg is an important logistic and industrial location and, as is the case in many ports around the world, its economic potential is huge. So is its responsibility, which is why the HPA has developed the smartPORT concept that is based on two pillars: smartPORT energy and smartPORT logistics.
smartPORT energy aims to reduce energy consumption, emissions and costs in the Port of Hamburg. At the forefront of the HPA’s approach are innovative mobility concepts, renewable energy sources and the interlinking of energy-generating plants and consumer plants to promote the efficient use of resources. smartPORT logistics primarily focuses on increasing the economic efficiency of the Port of Hamburg as a major link in the global supply chain. In order to create the conditions that enable the optimisation of traffic and trade flows, the HPA is developing an intelligent infrastructure: The latest IT megatrend technologies will be deployed to collect, analyse and process data so as to ensure transparency at all stages of the supply chain and enable early intervention.
At the IAPH conference, Jens Meier, Chairman of the Management Board of the HPA, will talk about concrete measures taken by the Port of Hamburg under the smartPORT concept. On top, representatives from other nations such as Australia, Sweden, Spain and the Far East will present answers to the question of what makes a port a smart port.
The 29th IAPH World Ports Conference will also explore the topic of air pollution in ports. Due to its inland location, the Port of Hamburg has a special responsibility towards Hamburg’s citizens. In the conference session on “Clean Air in Ports” representatives from ports in North Europe, the USA and Asia, as well as the President of NABU Hamburg (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union), Alexander Porschke, will identify appropriate measures to reduce emissions and how “green” ports should be in the times of climate change.
The 29th IAPH World Ports Conference will take place in Hamburg from 1 to 5 June. To view the entire IAPH 2015 conference programme, please go to www.iaph2015.org