• 6 min de lectura
• 6 min de lectura
The regeneration of waterfronts in Ibero-American port cities, sustainable mobility, current geostrategy, and a new management model for Port Authorities will be some of the issues to be analyzed.
According to the president of the Port Authority of Santander (APS), César Díaz, the objective of the conference is "to reflect on the present and future of ports and on the role that Port Authorities and other industry agents must play in a constantly transforming scenario."
Santander, September 8, 2026. The president of the Port Authority of Santander (APS), César Díaz, stated this morning, during the presentation of Port Week 2026, that the objective of the event is "to create a space for meeting and dialogue around the main challenges and opportunities facing the logistics-port industry, fostering the exchange of knowledge and experiences among port authorities, administrations, companies, experts, and other agents linked to the sector."
In short, he added, it is about "reflecting on the present and future of ports and on the role that Port Authorities must play in a scenario of profound transformation." The challenge, he continued, is "to promote, under current conditions but with a future vision, a sustainable, competitive, resilient, secure port model connected to the territory and new geostrategic dynamics."
Díaz highlighted that the content of each of the four Meetings that make up the Week responds to "strict current relevance, marked by the reality of daily events." Thus, in this edition, "we will analyze the regeneration of waterfronts in Ibero-American port cities, the need to bet on sustainable mobility, the attitude that should be adopted in the face of the new emerging geostrategy, and the new management model for ports and Port Authorities."
The highest representative of the port administration expressed his "satisfaction" at hosting this event in Santander, highlighting that it is an event "already consolidated within the training landscape of the Spanish port system," organized by the Port Authority of Santander, the Menéndez Pelayo International University, and Puertos del Estado.
The head of the APS positively valued the celebration of the event in Santander and highlighted its consolidation "as one of the main training events in the Spanish port system."
During the presentation of Port Week, organized by the Port Authority of Santander, the Menéndez Pelayo International University, and Puertos del Estado, he was accompanied by the mayor of Santander, Gema Igual; the Minister of Industry, Employment, Innovation and Commerce of the Government of Cantabria, Eduardo Arasti; the Corporate and Institutional Relations Director of Puertos del Estado, Marta Ferrero, and the rector of the UIMP, Ángel Pelayo.
The Ibero-American Port City: New Horizons in Port-City Relations and Waterfront Regeneration
The first Meeting of the Week was The Ibero-American Port City: New Horizons in Port-City Relations and Waterfront Regeneration, inaugurated by Javier Álvarez, head of the General Administration and Legal Service department of the Port Authority of Santander and course secretary; Teófila Martínez, course director. President of RETE -International Association for Collaboration between Ports and Cities-, president of the Port Authority of the Bay of Cádiz, and Mariola Urrea, Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Institutional Relations of the UIMP.
The objective of this course was twofold: on the one hand, to analyze the processes of digital revolution and sustainable behavior in Ibero-American port cities, whose dynamics share common features and unique characteristics, and on the other hand, to inspire a new generation of port-city coexistence and cooperation policies that strengthen the competitiveness and quality of life of these cities.
Agenda
Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 9, will be the turn of the Meeting Rail-Port: Sustainable and Intelligent Mobility which, under the direction of Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena, Deputy Director of Strategy and Business Development of Puertos del Estado, and Antonio Aguilar, Deputy Director of Freight Transport Promotion of ADIF, will address the main policies that are marking the transition towards cleaner and smarter rail and port mobility.
On September 10, Port Week will focus on Ports in the New Emerging Geostrategy. Trade, Defense and Security. A course, directed by Alberto Camarero, Professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, ITTU department, ETSI de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, and Abel Romero, Navy Captain and analyst at the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies, which aims to analyze the dual nature of ports in the current context.
Finally, on Friday, September 11, the Leadership School will be held: A New Management Model for Ports and Port Authorities. A platform for reflection and learning, directed by César Díaz Maza, president of the APS, and Clara La Calle López-Gay, general secretary of Puertos del Estado, which will focus on the transformation of operational, technological, and administrative processes of ports and port authorities.
The courses are aimed at managers, executives, and professionals working in the port-logistics sector, both public and private; professionals and researchers interested in the study of these infrastructures; students who wish to develop their professional career in the port industry, entrepreneurs, and startups.
