Port accessThe Bilbao Port Authority will once again take part in World Maritime Week (WMW), the largest meeting point for the global maritime industry, to be held from 19 to 21 March at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC). The four sectors present at the event (ports, marine renewable energy, shipbuilding and fishing) will have a space for conferences, debates and keynotes, as well as an exhibition area.
The Bilbao Port Authority will be taking part in two conferences: firstly, on Wednesday 19 March, at 15.45, in the conference on digitalisation and cybersecurity, with the paper “AI and Digital Transformation in SOC Cybersecurity, the Supply Chain and Port Emergency Communications”, to be given by José Díaz, Head of Cybersecurity at the Bilbao Port Authority; and secondly, on Thursday 20 March, at 09.50, in the round table “The Path to Maritime Sector Decarbonisation”, with the participation of Andima Ormaetxe, Director of Operations, Sales and Logistics, as one of the panelists.
As regards the exhibition area, the Port will have its own stand (LU-15), where it will be represented by the Port Authority and UniportBilbao, its multimodal logistics cluster. Information will be available at the stand on the logistical advantages offered by the port for business internationalisation. Additionally, the latest developments in the port in the fields of digital transformation and decarbonisation, and several of its stand-out projects in AI and sustainability, such as the electrification (OPS) of its docks, the first phase of which is already underway and will be completed in early 2026, will also be showcased.
The first phase of this OPS project will require an investment of 4,477,694 euros, and has been awarded a grant of 4.3 million euros from the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The second phase, which has been put out to tender for 55.4 million euros, will be part funded by the Connecting Europe Facility, whilst the remainder will be financed by the Bilbao Port Authority itself. In addition, a loan of 80 million euros has been secured with the European Investment Bank (EIB), part of which will be used to finance this project. This second phase will be completed in 2027. Part of the power supply for the OPS project will be from renewable sources, such as PV solar panels, the project for which is currently out to tender for 15.6 million.
Employment Forum and visit to the Port
On 20 March, the Port of Bilbao will also be taking an active part in WORKInn for WMW, the first employment forum hosted by the WMW designed to address the challenging issue of generational change, to bridge the gap between the needs of companies and the lack of qualified professionals, and to arouse the interest of young people in the maritime sector.
The last day of the event, Friday 21 March, will feature a series of technical visits, and a guided tour of the facilities of the Port of Bilbao will be available.
For more information, go to World Maritime Week | Bilbao Exhibition Centre | BEC
