Renowned international experts will animate the port debate at the 107th American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) Convention which, for the first time, is taking place in South America with Valparaíso as its home port, from October 7 to 10, 2018.
The three intense days of discussion will have as central themes the effects of the global economy on the maritime industry, consolidations and alliances and their impact on ports, cybersecurity, development of the port workforce and sustainability in the sector.
In this way, the more than 700 attendees will be able to listen and talk with Patrick Verhoeven, Director General of Policy and Strategy of the International Association of Ports and Harbors and ECLAC specialist, Ricardo Sanchez, who will give their vision of the current economy.
In this panel, which will be chaired by former AAPA president, Armando Duarte-Pelaez, experts will discuss the strategy of ports and the maritime sector to face changes in the global economic system.
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Shipping consolidation
On the first day of the plenary session, mergers and the new configuration of the shipping industry will be addressed by its protagonists, since the panel, which will be moderated by Rodolfo Sabonge, an associate consultant of Talasonómica, will have representatives from the two main shipping companies in the world.
Thus, the conversation will have as protagonists Maximilian Alcorta, regional operations manager for the west coast of South America for Mediterranean Shipping Company, and Lars Oestergaard Nielsen, President of Latin America and the Caribbean at Maersk Line.
The load generators will also be represented in the debate with the participation of Ronald Bown, president of the Association of Fruit Exporters of Chile (Asoex), and the ports with the view of Cathie J. Wick, Chief of Public Affairs for the Port of Virginia.
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Cybersecurity
Another point that will not escape the review of the specialists present at AAPA 2018 will be cybersecurity.
In this context, the panelists will analyze the latest cybersecurity breaches in the maritime-port sector and will discuss the best strategies and best practices to not only prevent, but also recover from a cyber attack.
The dialogue will be held by Lidia Munoz, Director of Transport for Panama at Indra, Miguel Juan, partner of S2 Group, and Molly Campbell, director of ports for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
On October 9, the first day of debate, it closes with two keynote presentations. Peter de Langen, Head and Principal Consultant of Ports & Logistic Advisory and Professor at Copenhagen Business School, will refer to the “Innovation Ecosystem” as a key factor for port competitiveness, while the Minister of Transport of Chile, Gloria Hutt, will close the day with a presentation in which he will detail the scope of the national port policy.
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City-Port and labour relations
The second day of discussions will kick off with 90 minutes dedicated to port development strategies, community engagement and industry sustainability.
Presenters Sean Strawbridge, CEO of the Port of Corpus Christi, Carlos Urriola, Executive Vice President of Manzanillo International Terminal, SA of Panama; John Kuryla, Director of PortMiami, United States, and Gonzalo Mórtola, President of the AGP – Port of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will speak, under the moderation of Philippe Matthis, Deputy Director General of the Port of Brussels and President of AIVP, best practices in sustainable port development, addressing various cases that make up the paradigm of sustainable growth in the port industry.
The theme will not end with this first forum, as the day will continue with environmental considerations in port management. Here, the exhibitors will discuss the global challenge of caring for the environment and its application in the generation, development and operation of port projects.
The panel will be led by Giaovanni Benedetti, Marketing and Sales Director of the Regional Port Society of Cartagena, and will feature the participation of Hector Bautista, General Director of the Comprehensive Port Administration of Ensenada, Mexico; Alberto Diaz, President, National Port Administration of Uruguay, and Gonzalo Davagnino Vergara, General Manager, Valparaíso Port Company.
Last but not least, there will be the presentation of case studies on the development of the port workforce. Under the leadership of Jim Quinn, President and CEO of Canada's Port Saint John, the panelists will discuss the training and adaptability processes required by port workers in an industry in which changes have accelerated exponentially.
This debate will be attended by: Noel Hacegaba, PPM Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Director of Commercial Operations for the Port of Long Beach and Chairman of the AAPA – USA Professional Development Board, Stephanie L. Bowman, Commissioner, Port of Seattle, Miguel Garin-Alemany, Director of International Development of the Valenciaport Foundation and Cecilia Alcocer Recabal, Human Capital Manager of the Maritime and Port Chamber of Chile.
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