Professor Gordon Wilmsmeier, a global expert of the sustainability of ports and shipping, visited UQ’s Sustainable Infrastructure Research Hub (SIRH) in June 2023 to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Australian ports to achieve resilience.
Australian ports are vital for our economy and society, but achieving resilience in all four dimensions: social, technical, environmental and organizational remains challenging. Professor Wilmsmeier's visit presented a timely opportunity for collaboration and knowledge sharing on critical issues including how global trends such as digitalization, decarbonization, climate change adaptation, and evolving global trade patterns are poised to redefine the competitive landscape of ports and how to increase resilience to the many disruptions stemming from these issues.
As part of the SIRH’s mission to accelerate the transition towards sustainable and resilient infrastructure (including ports), we were pleased to host a roundtable with Port stakeholders from Australia and the Asia-Pacific region with Prof. Wilmsmeier the keynote speaker. The discussion that followed highlighted the opportunity to develop innovative solutions to improve both the resilience and competitiveness of maritime ports simply by frank and open conversation among stakeholders.
“We know a resilient port can collaborate with customers and other stakeholders during disruptions, prepare for and absorb these disruptions, recover more quickly, and even adapt its operations to increase competitiveness. This visit was a chance to for Professor Wilmsmeier to share global insights that highlight the importance of collaboration and strategic alliances between port authorities and tenants to build resilience and navigate the challenges of the complex supply chain.”
Gustavo Martinez Tello (UQ SIRH)
Professor Wilmsmeier brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, currently holding the prestigious Kühne Chair of Logistics at the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, while also serving as Associate Professor for Shipping and Global Logistics at the Kühne Logistics University (KLU) and Director of the KLU's Hapag-Lloyd Center for Shipping and Global Logistics (CSGL). In addition, Professor Wilmsmeier leads the Global Port Performance Research Network (PPRN), serves as Vice-President of the International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), and holds an associate membership in PortEconomics.
Since 2023, SIRH has been researching the role of ports in decarbonization, resilience and reporting. Our recent research focuses on transparency on reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption and the role of this disclosure by specific industry stakeholders in setting and meeting targets to achieve a zero-emission transport sector in the future.
The collaboration between Professor Wilmsmeier and UQ SIRH's transport sustainability expert, Gustavo Martinez Tello has extended our research capability and impact. Significant contributions to the field by Professor Wilmsmeier and Gustavo Martinez Tello’s combined work including co-authoring Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) on ports and climate change for the World Bank, their co-developed the environmental sustainability module for the new Port Reform Toolkit, and winning the Best Paper Award (Ports category) at the IAME Conference 2024. The SIRH looks forward to continuing this collaboration as a means of supporting the Australian ports and shipping industry solve complex challenges and increase their resilience to global disruptions.
To learn more about Professor Wilmsmeier's visit or the Sustainable Infrastructure Research Hub's work on sustainable port transitions, please email Prioncipal Research Assistant, Gustavo Martinez Tello.
Learn about SIRH's Transport initiatives and research
Events
Innovation in Infrastructure: Projects, Ecologies and Ecosystems
21 March 2023 5:15pm–7:30pm
We are pleased to invite you to attend a presentation by UQ Visiting Scholar Professor Andy Davies, Sussex University, UK followed by a panel discussion and networking event, hosted by The University of Queensland’s Sustainable Infrastructure Research Hub.
Besix Webinar - Voices of Construction: How to build resilient infrastructure
23 November 2021 11:00am–12:00pm
What’s the most critical change we can make to decarbonise infrastructure? Watch the webinar by Besix featuring SIRH’s Director, Dr Cristyn Meath.
