Ports Body and IPCSA Sign Digital Cooperation Pact
The International Association of Ports and Harbors and the International Port Community Systems Association signed a memorandum of understanding at the 2026 IAPH World Ports Conference.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Cybersecurity
The International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) and the International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA) signed a memorandum of understanding at the 2026 IAPH World Ports Conference held at the ICC Olympia. The agreement builds on years of collaboration on digitalisation of ports and maritime supply chains.
Why it matters
The pact formalises cooperation on cybersecurity, data interoperability and supply chain resilience across ports. It follows IPCSA's co-sponsorship of an IAPH proposal that the IMO Facilitation Committee adopted, adding a mandatory cyber security standard for Maritime Single Windows.
The FAL Convention amendments add a mandatory cyber security standard for Maritime Single Windows, adopted at IMO Facilitation Committee session FAL 50 in April 2026. The extraction does not specify the technical requirements of that standard.
The players
International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH)
A global industry body representing port authorities and harbour organisations, which hosts the annual World Ports Conference and advocates on port digitalisation and sustainability.
International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA)
An international association of port community system operators that promotes digital data exchange and interoperability across ports and supply chains.
Nico De Cauwer
Secretary-General of IPCSA, who serves as a leading voice on port community systems and digital supply chain standards.
Ingrid Boqué
Chair of IAPH's Data Collaboration Committee, who leads work on trusted data corridors for port and maritime supply chains.
The details
The MoU covers digitalisation of ports, data collaboration and interoperability, cybersecurity and digital resilience, capacity building and knowledge sharing, and joint advocacy. It was signed at the close of a high-level roundtable on data harmonisation for Port Call Optimisation, where IPCSA Secretary-General Nico De Cauwer served as an expert panellist.
Timeline
• April 2026: IMO FAL 50 adopted the IAPH proposal, co-sponsored by IPCSA.
• Last week: IAPH Data Collaboration Chair Ingrid Boqué presented trusted data corridors work at the IPCSA Annual Meeting.
• November 4, 2026: MoU signed at the 2026 IAPH World Ports Conference.
Roadmap
The FAL Convention amendments set a mandatory cyber security baseline for Maritime Single Windows, which this MoU helps operationalise through industry cooperation. The agreement positions port community systems as the implementation layer for that regulatory shift.
Shipping and port operators will be expected to meet the mandatory cyber security standard for Maritime Single Windows as the FAL amendments take effect. The MoU signals that port community systems will coordinate on compliance and data exchange.
The takeaway
Securing port data now is becoming a regulatory requirement, not an optional upgrade. Port operators should track how the FAL cyber security standard is implemented in their jurisdictions.
Further reading
For more on how digital threats are being addressed across critical infrastructure, see Cybersecurity.
