The International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for future collaboration in climate and energy, data sharing, and risk and resilience of ship-to-shore operations.
The MoU was signed on 17 July by Captain K. Subramaniam, President of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), and Kitack Lim, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Patrick Verhoeven, managing director of IAPH, joined them. The signing ceremony took place at the IMO council meeting (C 129, 17-21 July).
The Memorandum will draw on IMO’s experience as the United Nations Specialised Agency in charge of setting global standards for the safety, security, and facilitation of international shipping, as well as the prevention of ship pollution, in collaboration with IAPH’s best practices and knowledge of the most advanced and sophisticated ports, in order to achieve sustainable, inclusive, and equitable development.
Improving port capacity and facilities in developing countries, particularly in the least developed countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), is viewed as crucial to meeting the updated targets outlined in the updated 2023 IMO GHG Strategy, which was approved on 7 July.
According to a statement, the MoU is in line with the IMO MEPC resolution 366 (79) which invites IMO Member States to boost voluntary relationships between the port and shipping sectors to contribute to reducing GHG emissions from ships.
