Brussels, 26 November 2020
On the 26th of November 2020, EPP Transport Coordinator, Mr Marian Jean Marinescu, invited representatives of the maritime logistics chain to exchange about the future developments in the EU maritime transport sector and the EU maritime shipping industry.
On behalf of FEPORT, Ms Lamia Kerdjoudj-Belkaid, Secretary General, participated to the hearing and exposed the views of the private port companies and terminals.
“One of the rare merits of the COVID-19 crisis is that it has shed light on the essential nature of the work performed by all actors of the maritime logistics chain and how much they are interdependent. COVID-19 represents an opportunity to change the paradigm when thinking about maritime and port industries”, said FEPORT SG.
“The challenges of the 4th industrial revolution: decarbonization, digitalization, upskilling of workers, automation and use of artificial intelligence concern all industries and request a total mobilization from all parties: private, public, institutional, and non-institutional.
The change of paradigm means that we should collectively operate a disruptive move from former views which used to consider that the maritime sector is one main sector surrounded by ancillary ones while it is constituted from a variety of industries.
The world has changed, COVID-19 will leave its imprint. Consumption behaviours will not be the same and it would be dangerous to think that we shall come back to “Business as usual” and therefore continue with “silo thinking”…”, added Ms Lamia Kerdjoudj-Belkaid.
“In the future, port ecosystems are to become clusters for energy, transformation and manufacturing industries and nodes for multimodality.
Maritime and port industries are in many ways strategic partners in Europe’s ambitious decarbonization agenda and more particularly the shipping one.
Dissemination of good practices and real support to initiatives such as Vessel/Port call coordination centers involving cargo handling techno nautical services should be further encouraged by all regulators.
Innovative models, early movers and new business models will be crucial for the transition and should be rewarded through strong support.
Liberalization should not be an end in itself and competition rules which apply to the maritime and port industries should be fair within the EU market and efficient towards non-EU players”, concluded FEPORT SG.
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