There are jobs that go unnoticed, but they are the engine that guarantees the safety, precision and efficiency of our ports. Pilotage is, without a doubt, one of them.
From 26 to 29 May, Valencia hosted the 111th Annual Congress of Pilots of the Port of Spain, organized by the Colegio Oficial Nacional de Puerto Puerto, the Federación de Puerto Puers de España and Puers de Valencia S.L.P. A key meeting point for sharing experiences, knowledge and vision of the future in the maritime-port sector.
The congress culminated on 29 May with a Technical Conference in the Assembly Hall of the Port Authority of Valencia, which brought together professionals, institutions and companies in the sector to discuss the great challenges of pilotage and port operations.
The day began with the intervention of Víctor Jiménez Fernández, President of the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which focused on the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz and the impact that the conflict with Iran has had on global maritime traffic, highlighting the fragility of global routes and the strategic importance of pilotage in environments of high geopolitical tension.
Next, Mar Chao López, president of the Port Authority of Valencia, presented the shared challenges of the Port of Valencia, stressing the need for close collaboration between all entities in the port ecosystem to face the challenges of competitiveness and sustainability.
Elena Candelaria Delgado Gutiérrez, Maritime Captain of Valencia, addressed the incidents in port maneuvering and the framework of responsibility that ranges from the practical to the Maritime Administration, a reflection that is especially relevant to understand the regulatory environment in which the sector operates.
Javier Portales Rodríguez, partner of Albors Galiano & Portales, analyzed real cases of incidents in port waters related to sounding problems and the state of the defenses at the docks, taking as a reference the cases Ángeles Alvariño and MSC Shenzhen.
Abel Aleixandre Díaz, captain of the Merchant Navy and director of Acciona Flota, paid tribute to the figure of Ernesto Anastasio, recovering its legacy as a benchmark in Spanish pilotage.
Isaac González de Vega, on behalf of Amura Solutions, gave the attendees a reflection on the value of manoeuvring data as a key tool to improve operational efficiency and decision-making in the port environment. During his presentation, he highlighted the work carried out through the Spain’s first Maritime Data Space (EDME), a pioneering initiative that allows the different entities of the port ecosystem to share information in a secure, controlled way and under rules defined by the participants themselves. His speech highlighted how the intelligent use of the information generated in each manoeuvre opens up new possibilities to optimise the safety and performance of port operations.
The day concluded with a round table and the closing by the organizing authorities, and in the evening the congress closed with a Gala Dinner at the SH Valencia Palace Hotel, with the delivery of Metopas and Diplomas in recognition of the career of professionals in the sector.
Congratulations to the Colegio, the Federation and Prácticos de Valencia S.L.P. For the excellent organization of a congress that, once again, has shown that pilotage is a fundamental pillar of the safety and efficiency of our ports. We continue to move forward together.