Collaboration in the port community in the region is key to move towards interoperability

“Today more than ever it is key to promote the collaboration of the participants of the port community in the region to achieve efficiency in the logistics chain and move towards interoperability in the exchange of information,” the Permanent Secretary of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), Ambassador Clarems Endara, said during the opening of the Seminar on Exponential Ports, which began on Tuesday 19 April.

The economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic stressed the need to step up or accelerate the digital transformation of the maritime-port sector in the region. Blockchain, big data, artificial intelligence and the internet of things are part of the technologies that are generating a massive economic transformation, according to the IDB within the framework of the III Business Summit of the Americas.

Ambassador Clarems Endara highlighted that this transformation is not observed homogeneously within the maritime-port industry. There is a digital divide between Latin America and the countries that have created, developed or acquired technological capabilities over the years, as is the case study of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Singapore ports, which have become global benchmarks.

“In the last two decades, Latin American and Caribbean countries have made important efforts to digitalise port logistics, with the main initiatives being the developments in the field of Foreign Trade Single Windows (VUCE) and Port Community System (PCS). In these developments, Chile, Jamaica, Panama and Brazil stand out; countries that have made progress in the implementation of digitally connected port systems, followed by Argentina, Peru, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago,” the Permanent Secretary of SELA added.

The scenario makes it necessary to promote the collaboration of the participants of the region's port community in order to move towards efficiency, for more and better integration, which is SELA's line of action. “We have the responsibility to contribute to overcoming the existing crisis through an innovative agenda designed to strengthen the capacities of the countries in our region and thus advance in resilience by focusing on issues that generate innovative institutional options for better public policies and best practices that also contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,” Ambassador Clarems Endara explained.

The Seminar on Exponential Ports started on Tuesday 19 April and includes three more sessions on 21, 26 and 28 April. It is being delivered online and organized by SELA, jointly with CAF-development bank of Latin America, the National Port Authority (APN) of Peru, the Port Authority of Santander, Spain, and the company Next-Port.ai.