Ningbo Zhoushan Port Promotes 2027 MPF Forum in London Alongside Global Ports

Zhejiang Seaport Group and Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group held a promotional event in London on November 4 for the Maritime Silk Road Port Cooperation Forum (MPF) 2027, accompanied by a Multilateral Partner Ports Salon. During the event, they invited the port and shipping industry to take part in the forum in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China, from May 25 to 27, 2027.

More than 80 representatives from port and shipping companies, maritime financial institutions and research centers from the United Kingdom and Europe attended the event, along with other participants connected online. Opening remarks were given by Li Peng, Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom; Ye Zhihang, Deputy General Manager of Zhejiang Seaport Group and Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group; and Mark Williams, CEO of Maritime London. Guests included Michael Mainelli, Lord Mayor of the City of London; Simon Bennett, of the International Chamber of Shipping; Clemence Cheng, of Hutchison Ports Europe; and José Alberto Carbonell and Mar Chao, chairmen of the port authorities of Barcelona and Valencia, respectively.

Cai Linlin, Director of the Strategy and Legal Affairs Department at Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group, presented the main themes of the 2027 edition of the MPF, a forum established in 2015 that, over its ten editions, has brought together more than 10,000 participants from over 120 countries and regions across six continents. He Haixing, Director of the Commercial Department at Ningbo Zhoushan Port Co., Ltd., outlined the port's operations and proposed four areas of cooperation: development of premium shipping routes, joint investment in overseas terminals and logistics parks, logistics solutions for cross-border e-commerce, and the joint construction of green shipping corridors. According to the group, Ningbo Zhoushan operates 313 shipping services, 261 of them international, connecting more than 600 ports in over 200 countries and territories, and between January and September 2026 it handled 34.657 million TEU, up 6.7% year-on-year, making it the world's second-busiest container port.

In parallel, the Port of Barcelona brought its digital transformation strategy to London, with a focus on artificial intelligence, data exchange, cybersecurity and 5G connectivity, within the framework of the IAPH World Ports Conference 2026 and the Maritime Silk Road Port Cooperation Forum itself. José Alberto Carbonell presented projects such as PORTIC, the port community's document exchange platform, the new uses of the 5G network, and the drive to turn the port into a testing ground through BlueTechPort and the Fundació BCN Port Innovation.

Ingrid Boqué, Director of Institutional Relations at the Port of Barcelona and Chair of the IAPH Data Collaboration Technical Committee, moderated sessions in London on the application of artificial intelligence in the sector, data harmonization to optimize port calls, and supply chain cybersecurity and resilience, with the participation of representatives from ports, the World Bank and Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. During the IAPH general assembly, she presented the committee's work and its plans for 2027, and called for greater involvement by ports in the association's technical working groups.