El Port de Barcelona placed resilience and the energy transition at the center of the European debate during the annual conference of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), held in Gdansk (Poland).
The meeting, under the motto Competitiveness as a driver of resilience, brings together the main port and political leaders of the continent in a context marked by geopolitical instability and tensions in supply chains.
The president of El Port de Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell, accompanied by the Deputy General Director of Innovation and Business Strategy, Santiago Garcia Milà, and by the Director of Institutional Relations, Ingrid Boqué, participated in the first executive round table of the meeting, together with Boudewijn Siemons, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam; Jens Meier, CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority, and Benoît Rochet, CEO of Haropa Port. All of them agreed on the need to reinforce the strategic role of ports in an increasingly uncertain global scenario.
During his speech, Carbonell warned of the chain effect that international crises generate on the global logistics system. “Disruptions cause a domino effect on a global scale, which makes it essential to reinforce the resilience and anticipation capacity of ports,” he stated.
The president of El Port de Barcelona also highlighted the importance of guaranteeing continuity of service to customers and protecting local markets, at a time when ports play an increasingly relevant role in Europe’s energy and logistics security.
In this area, he highlighted Spain’s competitive advantage thanks to the weight of renewable energies, which already exceed 55% of the electricity mix. “Ports are well positioned to lead the production of green fuels. In this context, the energy transition must be addressed taking into account the energy trilemma: the balance between sustainability, security of supply and affordability,” he assured.
José Alberto Carbonell also noted that the decarbonization of Europe will require very significant investments, especially in energy infrastructure, and will consolidate ports as true hubs of innovation and technological development.
The ESPO annual conference has established itself as the main forum for debate in the European port sector, addressing issues such as competitiveness, security, digitalization and attracting investments.
