The I National Congress of the Port Sector has concluded with the presentation of a roadmap aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of the Spanish port system. The president of Ports of the State, Gustavo Santana, indicated during the closing ceremony the body's willingness to "continue working with all stakeholders involved to strengthen the Spanish port system as an economic engine, strategic logistics node, and a benchmark in innovation and sustainability in the European and international context."
The meeting, held over three days, brought together more than 650 attendees and featured the participation of over 50 speakers and lecturers who addressed the main challenges and opportunities of the logistics-port sector in a context of global uncertainty. Santana valued the congress's outcome by pointing out that "the success of this Congress, both in terms of the number of attendees and the quality of the panels and conferences, confirms the need that existed in the sector for a global forum that brings together the entire community and where all the challenges that mark the present and future of a strategic sector for Spain can be debated."
Among the lines of work emerging from the congress, digitalization occupies a prominent place. Ports of the State is developing a Digitalization Plan together with the Port Authorities as a key factor for competitiveness. Regarding decarbonization, another of the major thematic axes of the meeting, the organization is collaborating with the Electric Grid, public administrations, and electric companies to ensure that the deployment of OPS (electrical supply to ships in port) is viable both technically and economically, as Santana himself detailed.
Public-private collaboration was another of the central issues of the congress. The president of Ports of the State emphasized that strengthening this relationship, the foundation of the state-owned port model, is essential for maintaining competitiveness. Santana also indicated that during the congress, investor interest in Spanish ports was confirmed, which he interprets as "a clear sign of the strength and confidence in the Spanish port system." The organization, he added, will continue to accompany and facilitate these processes.
The regulatory framework was also the subject of analysis during the sessions. Santana recalled that in the Congress of Deputies, there is currently a review of the Consolidated Text of the Law on Ports of the State and Merchant Navy under consideration, in accordance with European guidelines and the deployment of the Sustainable Mobility Law approved last year. Additionally, the drafting of the Operating Regulations is underway, an instrument that seeks to provide greater administrative agility to the entire system.
The I National Congress of the Port Sector is born with a vocation for continuity. The president of Ports of the State called on attendees to a second edition scheduled in two years.