The chief executive of France’s leading port took yesterday – for 2 years – the post of Vice-President for Europe of the International Association of Ports and Harbors. This is the first time the post has been held by a French citizen, yet another more sign of the determination of HAROPA PORT, and of France, to adopt a position at the forefront of the ongoing changes in the port sector.
IAPH is a non-governmental organization (NGO) created in November 1955 by around 100 world port leaders. Over the past six decades, IAPH has developed into a global alliance of ports and represents today some 177 ports and 147 port-related businesses in 84 countries. Taken together, the member ports handle well over 60% of the world’s sea-borne trade and over 60% of the world’s container traffic. As a trade association of reference, IAPH aims to be the industry benchmark for sharing best practice by the planet’s most advanced ports.
It was on the occasion of the Annual General Meeting of IAPH ports held yesterday in Abu Dhabi that Stéphane Raison’s appointment as VP Europe was officially confirmed by a vote of the Regular Members and Honorary Members of the organization.
Given that all ports are currently facing the same challenges regarding climate change and energy transition, Stéphane Raison, as VP Europe, will seek to ensure that all good practices will be shared across the different IAPH regions – in particular on the Climate & Energy and Risk & Resilience Committees. This will allow all the ports to more effectively replicate technologies and processes that are already in place and have demonstrated their efficacy in tackling global warming, CO2 emissions and safety & security issues.
As the Vice-President for Europe, Stéphane Raison will be focusing on the following areas:
– Green ports – the sharing of knowledge and expertise to promote greener transport;
– Ports as instruments for reindustrialization: acceptance of port activities and collaboration with stakeholders;
– Innovation – the ways in which ports can play a role in consolidating R&D and Innovation;
– Safety & security, with an emphasis on cybersecurity. For Stéphane Raison: “I am proud of the trust placed in me by the members of the IAPH. I think that the port authority of tomorrow will be able to play a proactive role in contributing to and establishing a new framework for growth aligned with climate change, energy transition and reindustrialization. I strongly believe that the efficiency of a port is linked to the interactions between industrial actors, the logistics sector and shipping companies – and – of course, interactions with other port authorities. That is why, as IAPH Europe Vice-President, I am looking forward to continuing the excellent work that has been done up to now by my predecessors and to further boosting our dynamism and deeply held beliefs. I am a firm believer in the power of the IAPH network. Everywhere in the world ports are facing the same challenges and experience has convinced me absolutely that although you can travel faster alone, together we can go further!”
