Following its Biennial Conference in Darwin in late August, Ports Australia accepted the invitation to join the World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP), an initiative by the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) aiming to enhance sustainability efforts of ports worldwide and foster international cooperation with partners in the supply chain, under the concept of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Ports Australia is an industry body representing some 80 Australian Ports, which includes all of the country’s metro Ports. It also has six Marine Authority members, including several State-level Departments for Transport and Infrastructure.
Australian Ports operate in a diverse range on environments and communities and each one is faced with its own unique challenges…From solar power, to marine rehabilitation, eliminating toxic fire-fighting foam and building a resilient and diverse workforce, Australian Ports have much to be proud of and we want to share our experiences with the wider global port community,
…commented Ports Australia’s Chief Executive, Mike Gallacher.
With the agreement signed, both signatories are expected to commence work in the near future in the fields of governance, the optimization of vessel calls, environmental landside management and LNG bunkering.
Since its inauguration earlier this year, the IAPH’s World Ports Sustainability Program is now ready to focus on key areas of collaboration whilst growing it’s international membership.
Ports Australia have worked hard to facilitate and share some of these nationally with their members and have now committed to take that further with the WPSP. IAPH members of the Program and its founding partners will now actively encourage Australian ports to get involved in global projects that have been initiated such as the Environmental Shipping Index, where Australia is already represented by NSW Ports,
…noted IAPH’s Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven.
Our Ports are actively seeking better ways to operate and we are looking forward to engaging with the WPSP to learn and share our knowledge and experience with the world,
…Mike Gallacher concluded.
