Rethinking business models, reformulating shipping routes and reducing emissions are the concepts guiding the debate and reflections of TOC Americas 2024, which kicked off its series of conferences on Tuesday, October 1, at the Panama Convention Center with a plenary session moderated by Paul Gallie, CEO, PSL Advisors, FZCO & Advisor, A. P. Moller Capital, and featuring presentations by Nicolas Gauthier, President, Global Container Division, SSA Moller Capital. P. Moller Capital; and featured presentations by Nicolas Gauthier, president, Global Container Division, SSA Marine and Carlos Merino, CEO, Peru & Ecuador, DP World.
After thanking the realization of TOC Americas in Panama, “a fantastic country”, and welcoming the speakers and delegates who will participate in the cycle of conferences of Container Supply Chain (CSC) immediately gave way to the presentation of Nicolas Gauthier, who highlighted the full power of SSA Marine, the leading port operator in the world and especially in the Americas.
But SSA Marine’s leadership does not stand out merely in terms of production, but also in terms of sustainability. In this regard, he highlighted the case of the SSA Marine Manzanillo terminal, where they have made a massive investment for the reduction of emissions with the implementation of 52 e-RTGs, 40 in 2020 and another 12 in 2022. Gauthier also referred to the challenges of investing in Latin America, considering the different governments and regulatory schemes that prevail in the area.
A new way of understanding DP World
Carlos Merino, meanwhile, highlighted the reformulation of DP World’s business model, a well-known port operator that has extended its investments around the world, but has had to rethink its business model. In this sense, he emphasized the “essential” value of the supply chain: “We used to be a port operator. Today we continue to be so, but with interventions within logistics at a 3PL and 4PL level (…) It is about “getting much closer to customers, but with a concise and value-added proposal that is in line and interrelated with what we used to do and that we will not stop doing, which is port operations”, he explained.
Regarding how this line of thought and action is applied in Latin America, he explained that although there are differences in the characteristics of the different investments – “Ecuador is a fairly young concession, it has 5 years of operation, Peru has 18, Chile has some, but with very close concession expirations”. However, he emphasised that “in some way, what is a minimum common denominator in these locations is that we have not stopped investing. We have always started to invest a lot and we continue to do so perfectly well”.
Emissions reduction
During the morning, the need to reduce emissions from port operations was also highlighted, fuel case of Larissa Barrios, Commercial Manager, SSA Marine Manzanillo Terminal Internacional (MIT): “The maritime-port sector has the need to reduce its emissions, and currently several terminals have initiatives to decarbonize operations. We have been emphatic in the acquisition of non-polluting equipment; in fact, six automatic cranes will arrive at our terminal next week. On the other hand, the construction of vessels propelled by green fuels is booming; many alternatives are being developed in that sense. However, the challenge will be how to provide fuel supply for these ships in the ports of Latin America”.
The decarbonisation of the maritime industry and the problems that this may mean for this sector, due to the strict regulations from the regulatory environment, was also a topic addressed during the conference. Lars Nielsen, Head of Operations, Americas, Maersk, presented a rather conciliatory view on this issue. “Regulations should not be a conflict. They should be aligned with the results that both the industry and the public interest expect. That is, if the regulations put in place are to match the needs of both sectors, they turn out to be very positive.” For this to work, he added, “it is vital to take the first step in doing what needs to be done, so that, subsequently, the necessary regulations are put in place.”
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Publish date : 2024-10-02 21:05:00
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