By Mike Jarrett

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic – which has already seen more than 30% of the 2.5 million deaths reported worldwide occurring in the Americas – the Organization of American States’ (OAS) Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP) has reinvented itself.

Tasked with proposing and creating systems, programmes and relationships that foster and advance economic growth, efficiency and dependability in the port sector of the Americas, the CIP has shown resilience and tenacity in delivering its full slate of programmes for regional development.

Even as the pandemic raged through 2020, creating mayhem on all continents and the islands in between, the CIP granted regional port officials more than 400 scholarships for 12 certified online courses.

More than 3,200 port officials were updated about successful practices being employed in 15 CIP webinars. These webinars allowed for exposure and analysis of a multiplicity of issues, including cruise industry guidelines, port safety, continuity of operations, automation, dredging, inland ports and waterways and port-city relations. The work of empowerment through exposure and transfer of information related to issues and solutions was carried through with strong will and determination.

“For 2021, the CIP will continue to work on its online capacity-building activities and will continue to foster political dialogue and technical assistance in collaboration with public and private port industry stakeholders,” said Jorge Duran, Chief of Section of the CIP. “As we continue to face the challenges of the pandemic, for 2021, CIP aims to increase its scholarship offer to 21 certified online courses, and organise at least 12 technical webinars to provide a relevant and accessible platform for knowledge exchange, information sharing and training on the most pressing port issues, including safety guidelines, port management, logistics, security, disaster risk management, environmental sustainability and, importantly in the context of the pandemic, acceleration of digitalisation in ports, as well as Port Community Systems.”

So as to further provide tools to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on the port sector, the CIP continuously updated its online compilation of more than 60 successful international, regional and national practices, directives, guidelines, protocols, and recommendations regarding COVID-19 safety. This included practices relating to continuity of logistic operations in the ports of member states during the early stages of the pandemic. This compilation of successful action and solutions can be accessed at: www.portalcip.org/home/covid-19-announcement.

The CIP plans to publish its Green Port Guide in 2021. This will be published in both English and Spanish.

“This guide offers orientation on how to become a port with green operations and how to seek international green port certification,” the CIP head said.

Core of global trade

“The pandemic has once again reminded us that port and maritime industries are at the core of global trade and disaster relief and (they) fundamentally contribute to the prosperity and well-being of our societies. Due to the emphasis on non-human contact and contagion-free operations, the pandemic has also accelerated the digitalisation of the sector in the region.

“As both digitalisation and automation in ports continue to expand, port managers in the region will require not only technological solutions but, most significantly, modern and updated legislation on a national level, which will help optimise digitalised processes in ports through efficient stakeholder engagement and governance; with training being crucial in line of this trend.

“In addition, the region’s port managers have also understood the pandemic as an opportunity to assess and improve existing disaster management procedures and have done an exceptional work in providing continuity of operations.”

It is against this backdrop that the CIP announced that it had begun the implementation of the Improved Disaster Risk Management for Ports in the Caribbean project.

The Improved Disaster Risk Management project comprises two important components:

(1) the development of an updated model emergency response plan for Caribbean Ports. (This was drafted in collaboration with multiple stakeholders for improved emergency response, including CDEMA, CSA, HudsonAnalytix, PMAC, USCG, and an important financial contribution from the Government of Italy); and

(2) regional workshops to train effective plan implementation.

The model plan is expected to be finalised in late July 2021 and training workshops (in-person and/or online) are expected to be first conducted in early fall.

“Importantly, the region’s cruise ports will certainly continue to face challenges as the industry identifies safe ways of continuing operations,” said Duran.

The CIP plans to closely monitor developments in the cruise industry not only in the region but globally.

“Good practices elsewhere may be adapted to the regional context,” he said, referring to the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) publication of its COVID-19: EU Guidance for Cruise Ship Operations which, recommended measures that were expected to be implemented by all concerned while maintaining general safety and security standards.

As for CIP expectations in the year ahead, the CIP head opined that, with increased availability of COVID-19 vaccines in OAS Member Countries, “…we hope that for the second half of the year, we might be able to organise on-site events once again, along with the many externalities associated with human interaction.”