Chairman Speaks at the Opening of the World Ports Conference in Kobe

The Chairman attended the Opening Ceremony of the World Ports Conference, organized by the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH). The Chairman took part as a panelist, contributing to discussions on the current state and future outlook of global trade, particularly in the context of the ongoing Red Sea crisis.

During his intervention, the Chairman began by recalling the successive supply chain disruptions that have occurred at key maritime choke points including the Black Sea, Suez Canal, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea, Strait of Hormuz, and the Panama Canal, which currently faces water shortages. He emphasized that these routes are critical to global maritime trade, which represents over 80% of world trade.

He also highlighted the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, reminding the audience that, under the request of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority (DPFZA) was the first country to authorize crew changes during the pandemic, reaffirming Djibouti’s understanding that without seafarers, there is no maritime trade.

The Chairman further underlined Djibouti’s strategic location on the Far East–Europe trade route, the largest after the Pacific/Asia. He explained that Djibouti’s port business model is built around transshipment, transit landlocked countries, and domestic cargo operations: transshipment and domestic representing 65% of containers volume.

Addressing the operational challenges facing the port industry, the Chairman noted that while ships have an economic lifespan of about 25 years, ports are designed to last around 50 years. This disparity creates a constant need for innovation and reinvestment, as vessels are becoming increasingly larger  with greater beam and length, even if their draft remains relatively unchanged. He stressed that all ports face this ongoing challenge of adapting infrastructure to accommodate new generations of mega-ships.

Finally, on matters of safety and security, the Chairman announced that the United States Coast Guard have removed Djibouti Ports from its sanction list. As a result, vessels departing from Djibouti now call directly at U.S. ports, showing an important milestone in the recognition of Djibouti’s compliance with international maritime standards.