About 500 officials from ports across the globe gathered in downtown
Los Angeles this week for the 28th World Ports Conference, a record number for
the biennial gathering, which is organized by the Tokyo-based International
Association of Ports and Harbors.
The IAPH, a nonprofit global alliance of roughly 200 ports
and 150 maritime companies and institutes representing about 90 countries, is
dedicated to fostering cooperation among ports and harbors and promoting the
vital role they play in the world. IAPH member ports handle about 80 percent of
world container traffic and more than 60 percent of all international maritime
trade.
“This is the first IAPH conference for almost half of our
registered delegates and the conference program reflects the breadth and depth
of IAPH as the voice of the global ports community,” 2011-2013 IAPH President
and Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz said.
The conference, which was held May 6-10, conducted working sessions,
with topics including the global economy, climate issues and logistics. The first
day’s keynote speaker was Capt. Richard Phillips, who was the skipper of the M/V
Maersk Alabama cargo ship when it was hijacked by four Somali pirates
in 2009. The hijacking was the first successful pirate seizure of a US-flagged
ship since the early 19th century.
During his remarks, Capt. Phillips recounted the details
before, during and immediately after the hijacking, including how he was held
hostage in a lifeboat until three of the four hijackers were killed by U.S.
Navy SEAL snipers.
“The real heroes of this story are those Navy SEALs who
risked their lives to save mine,” Phillips said. “The dedication that they have
to one another and the precision in which they execute their missions proves
beyond any doubt that a dedicated, motivated professional team can overcome
most any obstacle and solve most problems.”
Among those in attendance was first-time attendee Ki-tack
Lim, president of the Busan, South Korea Port Authority. Lim was installed as
the head of the Port of Busan, the world’s fifth-busiest port, in July 2012.
Lim said there were three reasons for being in attendance, with networking
being chief among them.
“We hope to have interactions between Busan Port and other
ports worldwide to make a global network,” he said. “Secondly, Busan is already
well known within the country, but we would like to raise our reputation
outside.”
He also said Busan, which moves about 17 million TEUs a
year, would like to deepen its relations with lesser-developed nations as well
as with the ports on the West Coast of North America.
