The Port Authority of the Algeciras Bay (APBA) took part, last 8th and 9th June, in the XIX Conference of Young Professionals of the Technical Association of Ports and Coasts (ATPYC), which counted with the collaboration of the APBA itself as it was held in its port facilities.
The event, held at the Alameda Municipal Theatre in Tarifa, presented a high-level scientific-technical programme and was focused on bringing the Port Community closer to different innovative initiatives developed by the members of the ATPYC. In addition to the participation of the APBA, the conference was attended by other organisations and companies such as Siport21, IH Cantabria, Mapei, SATO OHL, Proes and McValnera.
After the institutional opening, the inaugural speech was given by Juan Pablo Pérez, Head of the Port Planning Department of the APBA, who was in charge of presenting the Port of Algeciras to the audience: infrastructures and existing traffics; elements that allow the organisation to become a centre of excellence in maritime and port services for passengers, ships and goods in the Strait of Gibraltar.
Juan González, member of the APBA’s Advanced Digital Services Centre, spoke about the PROAS (Port Risk Optimised Advanced System) project. This project is focused on the development of an Advanced Prediction System of the Vessel-Infrastructure Operativity as a tool to support decision-making, with predictive capabilities of the levels of safety, reliability, efficiency and comfort of port operations based on specific information for each berth (predictions of the physical environment, planning of the scale of vessels and planned operations). During the presentation, González presented the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) of the solution, which is capable of obtaining the movements of a specific vessel, in a specific berth of the APBA facilities, and under a defined mooring configuration and loading situation. He also highlighted the work carried out to date, which focuses on the design of the technological platform that supports the tool and on the reliability analysis of the prediction models of the Ocean-Meteorological Information System (SAMPA).
Among the rest of the speeches presented by ATPYC professionals, current issues in the port framework were addressed, such as new methodologies for the projection of the maritime climate in the face of climate change, MARPOL waste management, the technical challenges of floating wind power in the Iberian Peninsula or even automation and digitisation in the new generation of ports.
Finally, during the conference, there was the opportunity to make a technical visit to the facilities of the Port of Algeciras.
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