By Dr. Stylianou
2021 was marked by the continuation of the pandemic crisis that preceded and still exists. In such a highly problematic state of affairs with implications at all levels, port activities were greatly affected. The Covid-19 pandemic crisis demonstrated, in all aspects of our life and daily life, the impact of a phenomenon on our actions, in a way that is direct and creates enormous challenges but also prospects.
The restrictions and measures imposed in 2021 and before, since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, have strongly affected international trade, especially that carried out through the sea routes. One of the most prominent examples of this is the "container crisis" created by the fact that, with the imposition of restrictions, a large volume of containers found themselves in ports or regions that could not use them or transport them elsewhere. In other words, the supply chain was disrupted and, in view of the restrictions on port activities and taking into account their complexity, the remedial action to be taken is characterised by the same complexity that created the crisis. The above creates a chain of issues that affect our daily lives: delays in the dispatch/receipt of goods, price increases, inflationary trends, anxiety in the markets, a reduction in production, shortages of raw materials, unevenness in global markets and the search for new alternatives and temporary solutions. Even in the absence of the above, international trade and wider port activities around the world have been affected by the grounding of the giant Ever Given container ship on 23 March 2021 in the key Suez Canal through which around 10% of global trade passes.
To all of the above should be added to the equation the inability to fully carry out port activities due to the absence from their operations of the human resources that staff the ports, being in close contact or even sick with the coronavirus, which inability cannot be easily addressed due to the specialization required for port activities.
In addition to the above, the cruise sector has faced and continues to face particular problems - ships have been decommissioned, personnel have remained stranded in anchorages far from their place of origin, catering services have failed, tugboats have remained unused and, in general, related activities have been reduced or even terminated. The same fate befell services related to offshore energy activities.
In view of the above, the following have been observed or are being observed which are expected to benefit port activities: an increase in the construction of new containers, the digitalisation of several port activities, a shift to cleaner energy sources, the automation of certain sectors and, above all, innovative proposals aimed at improving port activities. The above actions are also the prospects for the creation of the ports of tomorrow, the institutionalisation of which requires a flexible legal framework that allows their implementation. The fact remains that the above brief overview of port activities demonstrates that they must always be seen as fragile and affected by small or large developments that can create domino effects for the wider society. For these very reasons, tomorrow's ports and port activities must evolve so that they can remain operational in times of crisis, including climate change. Especially for the latter, a coordinated response is needed before (full) action is taken.
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