The Port of Barcelona is among the eleven promoting ports of the Busan Port Declaration 2026, an international declaration signed by some of the main port infrastructures in the world, aimed at advancing innovation, enhancing the resilience of global logistics chains, and accelerating the energy transition of maritime transport and port infrastructures. The text was adopted at the meeting of port executives held in Busan (South Korea), coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the commissioning of the Korean port.
The declaration sets commitments on data interoperability and digital collaboration between ports, the application of artificial intelligence to logistics chain management, the promotion of sustainable fuels and low-emission technologies, and the exchange of knowledge and best practices among ports worldwide. In this regard, the document explicitly mentions the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as key platforms for articulating that cooperation.
Barcelona was one of the few European ports invited to the CEOs meeting, where it shared a table with representatives such as Rotterdam, Los Angeles, and Hamburg. Its president, José Alberto Carbonell, participated on Monday in that meeting along with representatives from the ports of Busan, Rotterdam, Los Angeles, Hamburg, Antwerp-Bruges, HAROPA, Singapore, Long Beach, Seattle, and Ningbo. During the session, the port leaders presented their vision on the main challenges facing the maritime and logistics sector in a scenario conditioned by climate change, geopolitical uncertainty, rising protectionism, and technological advancements, including AI, which reshape global supply chains and transform the role of ports.
"The Busan Declaration highlights that the major challenges of the maritime sector can only be addressed through international cooperation," said Carbonell, who called on ports to work together in digitalization, resilience of logistics chains, and accelerating decarbonization.
