UfM Conference on Maritime Transport and Logistics

Ismailia, 7-9 May 2018. The UfM Conference on Maritime Transport and Logistics will take place in Ismailia (Suez Canal), Egypt on May 8-9 2018 under the theme “Success Stories fostering Intermodality and Connectivity in the Euro-Mediterranean Region”. It will bring together government representatives, port authorities, key international organisations, experts and other stakeholders in the region, as well as IFIs and the private sector.

The Conference is aimed at highlighting success stories of key Euro-Mediterranean ports in fostering intermodality and connectivity, and exploring opportunities in building upon and increasing synergies amongst main ports in the region. It will also promote capacity building as a driver of efficient and sustainable development of maritime transport and logistics in the Euro-Mediterranean region. In addition, the Conference will offer the opportunity to launch the “TransLogMED” project.

Context of the conference

The relevance of the Mediterranean Sea within the international context is increasing as a result of global trends and of the way trade is being channelled, predominantly through maritime transport. Moreover, the New Suez Canal will further strengthen regional and international trade and transport connectivity. And as the global role of the Mediterranean as a maritime transport corridor grows, the Mediterranean ports have also been put under the spotlight by international economic developments, fostering both integration and competition in the Euro-Mediterranean region. At the same time, over the next few decades there will be a greater demand for mobility, transport and logistics as direct consequence of increasing trade and economic and social development within the Euro-Mediterranean region itself, which should therefore continue to get ready to respond to the new challenges, resulting from these new realities. Some recent success stories already witness the increasing improvements of both the Southern and the Northern Mediterranean ports in terms of capacity and logistic performance. Another direct outcome of the restructuring of global supply chains is the growing trend to transfer industrial activities from Far East to the Mediterranean region, especially to countries being able to offer industrial land and good transport connections, and also to provide logistics activities in order to deliver the manufactured products to the targeted markets in an efficient manner.

TransLogMED project

TransLogMED was labelled by the Union for the Mediterranean Senior Officials Meeting in October 2017. The project, promoted by the European School – Intermodal Transport (Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport), will support the implementation of sustainable door-to-door transport chains and intermodal solutions and the development of Motorways of the Sea services through training and knowledge transfer actions in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt and Jordan, with a view to contributing to the establishment of an efficient, interoperable and sustainable transport infrastructure network in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

More information on TranslogMED project: https://ufmsecretariat.org/project/translogmed/

For more information, please contact: transport@ufmsecretariat.org