With thousands of starving and dehydrated animals, and boxes of fruit and vegetables set to perish before reaching their destination, the hold-up caused by the Ever Given on a waterway that carries 12% of the world’s maritime traffic has serious implications for the transportation of livestock and food. The holds of the vessels delayed contain, among other things, Romanian and Bulgarian sheep being exported to Saudi Arabia, South African grapes, and New Zealand apples destined for the UK. The import and export of food was running at full speed, but the canal blockage has served as a reminder that the world’s food supply chains are fragile. Although the ship has been refloated, it will be some time before cargoes arrive and traffic may not return to “normal” until May. The situation is so serious that some carriers of perishable goods are considering rerouting their vessels via the Cape of Good Hope. The incident is an invitation to rethink the way we consume food, perhaps using more local produce, or at the very least opting for products that do not need to be transported thousands of miles by boat before reaching our plates!

According to the 4th IMO GHG Study, the Greenhouse Gas emissions from shipping – including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), expressed in CO2e – have increased in the period 2012-2018 from 977 to 1,076 million tonnes. The share of shipping emissions in global anthropogenic emissions has increased from 2.76% in 2012 to 2.89% in 2018. Emissions are projected to increase from about 90% of 2008 emissions in 2018 to 90-130% of 2008 emissions by 2050 for a range of plausible long-term economic and energy scenarios. Additionally, IMO has also launched a Ship-Port Interface Guide to reduce GHG emissions.

The national government from Italy agrees to temporarily ban large cruise ships from docking in the historic city of Venice. Cruises will no longer sail past St. Marco’s square to protect the historical-cultural heritage. In the meantime, the Port Authority has launched a call for tender for the architecture and engineer services concerning the technical and economic feasibility study and specialized activities for the construction of a new cruise terminal in Marghera, Venice (Italy).

The “Iguala-Conciliación” label was awarded by the Minister of Women and Gender Equality on March 26th, in virtual ceremony with the presence of the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications. The Port of Talcahuano, first Chilean port to earn this label, committed in May 2020 to apply the Chilean Norm 3262. To this end, it developed a management system and created a Gender Committee, generating training for workers, the “Transform your approach” campaign and the dissemination of informative capsules to sensitize each member of the organization, among other actions. This label demonstrates the organization’s commitment to equality between women and men, as well as to the reconciliation of work, family and personal life.

Almost a year after the controversial Sidewalk Labs project was abandoned, Waterfront Toronto has announced new objectives for the 4.8 hectare Quayside site. The updated plan aims to create affordable housing, iconic architecture and low-carbon buildings, public spaces, and access to the water. Deadline for tender submissions: 12 May 2021

The Municipality and Port Authorities have reached a deal to complete the restructuring of the buffer zone between the city and the port’s activities. Updates to the local development plan have paved the way for the creation of 700 homes, along with tertiary amenities and public spaces. The City Port integration project is in line with a similar plan in the Batán district across the Guadalquivir.