Harbour Master
Harbour Masters
Worldwide there are approximately 3,000 merchant ports and the work of the Harbour Master can vary widely from country to country and from port to port even within the same country.

With the theme, "The Next Wave – Navigating Towards the Digital Future, the 12th biennial Congress will be delivered virtually from 5 - 10 October, 2020.
The Congress remains the key forum for IHMA members and the global ports sector to collaborate, network, share information, and provide updates on the latest industry technology and solutions.
Join industry game changers who are altering the Baltic gas and LNG markets by providing greater energy security and meeting European climate change targets.
The Port of Sillamäe (SILPORT), Estonia, is the most eastern port of the EU, located only 25 km from the EU-Russian border and is one of the largest private ports in the EU. It is a relatively new, multifunctional deep-sea port. Natural depth at the quaysides of the port are sufficient for servicing the largest vessels that can enter the Baltic Sea through the Danish Straights.
The Smart Ports Summit, 19-20 February 2020, brings together the experts and innovators who are addressing the real need for optimatision of global supply chains and ports to secure fast and efficient movement of goods, manage mega vessels and meet sustainability targets.
IHMA members can save 20% on their registration for Salvage & Wreck Removal conference, 4 – 5 December 2019, London.
The following information is provided by the conference organiser:
19-20 November 2019 | Fira Barcelona Gran Via | Smart City Expo World Congress
IHMA is pleased to announce that Alex Mc Intosh, Marine Manager, Aberdeen Harbour Board, will represent the Association at the Women in Shipping Summit, 10-11 September 2019, London. Furthermore, there is a 20% discount available for IHMA members attending the Summit.
The following information is provided by the conference organiser:
The International Harbour Masters’ Association (IHMA) is pleased to let you know that the detailed agenda for the 9th IHMA Congress to be held in Bruges – Ghent, Belgium 2014 has been published. Please see attached document for further details.
Please find here a list of the members and organisations registered to attend as per 1/2 March 2014:
The 8th IHMA Congress in Cork will explore and address the changing landscape of ports and how these changes are redefining the role of harbour masters in the future. Addressing the theme, "Marine experience: Can we manage tomorrow's port without it?" the 2012 IHMA Congress will showcase technical and operational breakthroughs together with international case studies on the development and management of modern port and marine operations across the globe.
Crew changes are once more becoming difficult as much of the world locks down again following the emergence of several new and more transmissible variants of Covid-19, crew specialist Danica has warned.
With travel corridors being closed and new travel restrictions imposed, airlines are once again cancelling or reducing flights which poses a problem for crew transiting to vessels. It is understood from Danica that ports too, if they have reopened, are imposing greater restrictions.
Henrik Jensen (pictured), Managing Director of Danica Crewing Services, has warned: ‘I believe we may be heading for a new crew change crisis every bit as bad as last spring. Over the past six months crew changes have been possible in many cases, although they have been costly and complex. However, now we are seeing a range of new restrictions and barriers to crew travel while also facing some serious issues in relation to crew health risk factors. I can foresee this impacting heavily on crew changes for the next few months.’
Danica specialises in crew deployment and has been assisting a range of ship operators in order to achieve crew changes over the past year. As a result, the company is fully aware of the latest rules and restrictions and well-placed to notice how they are impacting crewing.
Jensen explained: ‘In response to the rapid increase in infections around the world, governments are imposing new or additional measures including travel restrictions. Although these measures are understandable in the circumstances, based on scientific evidence, and intended to provide protection for their populations, they also cause operational and logistical problems for crew changes.
RightShip and INTERCARGO announced on 21 January the launch of an important new quality standard for the dry bulk sector, DryBMS. The standard will be governed by a new NGO to be established later this year and will support the improvement of safety in the dry bulk segment.
Both RightShip and INTERCARGO have strongly and consistently advocated the need for significant improvements to dry bulk safety standards. In August 2020 both organisations combined their expertise to create a single framework for the whole industry.
Supported by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and BIMCO, DryBMS now exists as a simple set of best practices and key performance indicators and raises the bar on safety, environmental and operational excellence.
RightShip’s CEO Steen Lund says that he is confident that such a programme will be supported and adopted: ‘We are proud to launch DryBMS to the industry. The standard is a product of extensive collaboration with many stakeholders within the dry bulk sector.
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