SELA CAF II Meeting of Logistic Port Communities 2017

As part of the activities of the Program for the creation of the Digital and Collaborative Ports Network, which is being developed by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) in conjunction with the CAF-Latin American Development Bank, Port of Cartagena Colombia, between Wednesday 25 and Saturday July 29 2017, the II Latin American and Caribbean Regional Meeting of Logistic Port Communities.

In addition, and as a prelude to the II Meeting, on the 26th, was organized the 1st Colloquium of scientific research in port logistics chain, with the local collaboration of the Port Logistics Community of Buenaventura, FITAC Cartagena Chapter and the University of Cartagena in representation of the Bolivar Logistics Research Network (REDINLOG), the kind sponsorship of Crimsonlogic, 1-Stop Connections, World BASC organization and IDOM Ingeniería, and technical visits to Sociedad Portuaria Regional Of Cartagena, CONTECAR, COMPAS ports and GrupoDistri. 

Both activities were attended by officials, professionals, executives and academics linked to the strategic, operational and scientific work of the port logistics chain of 23 port systems belonging to 13 countries including Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile. 

The meetings aimed to consolidate the work structure of a new regional association on Digital and Collaborative Ports (La RED), which will have as mission to respond to the new challenges of port governance, technological adoption and trade facilitation, and the regional port ecosystem to reach higher levels of technological interoperability, logistics integration, market adaptation and sustainability with its social and environmental environment. 

The steering committee, established in March 2017 and chaired by the National Port Authority on behalf of Peru (APN), presented the 2017-2018 work plan of the technical committees and expert group, and one of its objectives is to formalize RED As a non-profit regional association. 

The speakers gave an account of the incipient university-port collaborative works that are allowing the adoption of cutting-edge knowledge in regional port logistics operations; The advances in the implementation of governance practices, operational integration, service standards, digital transformation and sustainability promoted by the model for competitiveness and management proposed by the Network as a necessary reference tool for the digital and collaborative modernization of our system Regional port; The state-of-the-art technology solutions and services for single port window systems, port management systems and smart port logistics systems; And finally progressed in the definition of a Strategic Document for the vision and mission of the Network that will allow it to guide its evolution and development in order to cover the sectorial, national and regional challenges identified by its members in a collaborative, plural and open way debate. 

The journey included a technical visit to the Cartagena regional port company facilities, CONTECAR terminal and COMPAS multipurpose terminal in Cartagena. We also visited the training room based on simulation for operations with gantry cranes and RTG that provides CONTECAR and finally to the national and regional distribution center of logistic operator GrupoDistri.