The 2024 edition of the UIMP Port Week in Santander will once again feature a space dedicated to the integration of port and city. Under the direction of RETE President Teófila Martínez (Association for Collaboration between Ports and Cities), the Palacio de la Magdalena in Santander will host the second day of Port Week on Wednesday, September 4, with the theme “Ports Committed to their Cities.”
The “Port Week 2024” is an event of academic and professional significance organized by Puertos del Estado, the International Menéndez Pelayo University (UIMP), and the Port Authority of Santander. This week will focus on exploring the challenges and opportunities of the port sector towards 2030, within the strategic framework of the Spanish General Interest Port System from Tuesday, September 3 to Friday, September 6. The event will feature the participation of prominent experts and sector leaders who will address topics such as digital transformation, sustainability, and energy efficiency in ports.
The UIMP 2024 Port Week will be divided into four thematic days, each focusing on a fundamental aspect of the development and modernization of the port sector. “Ports Committed to their Cities” will explore the collaboration between ports and cities to achieve common goals such as sustainability and competitiveness. Municipal and port authorities from Málaga, Cádiz, and Santander will participate, highlighting the importance of the “Permanent Port-City Forum” as a platform for dialogue and cooperation.
In the first block of the day, titled “Sharing Horizons,” led by Raquel Boy Prieto, Secretary General of RETE and Head of Communication, Protocol, and Institutional Relations at the Port Authority of the Bay of Cádiz, perspectives from prominent municipal and port representatives will be presented. This includes Francisco Manuel de la Torre Prados, Mayor of Málaga, followed by Carlos Rubio Basabe, President of the Málaga Port Authority; Bruno García de León, Mayor of Cádiz, and Teófila Martínez Saiz, President of the Bay of Cádiz Port Authority and President of RETE; and concluding with Gema Igual Ortiz, Mayor of Santander, and César Díaz Maza, President of the Santander Port Authority.
In the second block, “Building Commitments and Weaving Port-City Alliances,” led by Francisco Javier Álvarez García, Head of the General Administration and Legal Service Department of the Santander Port Authority, Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena, President of Puertos del Estado, will present the “Permanent Port-City Forum,” followed by a colloquium between the speakers and the audience.
For the RETE president, “ports and cities share objectives such as sustainability and global competitiveness, facing common problems of various kinds. To address the challenges and opportunities, close collaboration and a shared strategy are essential. This forum integrated into the UIMP Port Week is an excellent opportunity to further delve into the Strategic Framework of State port bodies and continues to be a conducive environment for dialogue and cooperation, promoting the sustainable development of port cities.”
César Díaz, President of the Santander Port Authority, assures that “it is a great satisfaction to organize this UIMP Port Week once again, which has rightfully become a benchmark within the sector. Additionally, this edition emphasizes port-city integration processes, where Santander has been a reference thanks to the recovery in recent years of more than 75,000 m2 for citizen use and public-private collaboration.”
In total, the agenda of the Santander Port Week will also include the following thematic days:
– Tuesday, September 3: Women in Today’s Ports: Challenges and Opportunities.
– Wednesday, September 4: Ports Committed to their Cities.
– Thursday, September 5: Energy Efficiency in Ports.
– Friday, September 6: Leadership School: Port Management. “Liquid” Ports.
Detailed information about the UIMP 2024 Port Week and registration forms are available in the digital brochure attached to this note.
