DP World has won an important award from the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), recognising its work to plant new mangrove forests around the Guayaquil port in Ecuador.

DP World Posorja, which operates the port, earned first place in the Climate and Energy category for its ‘Sembrando Vida’ mangrove project, competing alongside 237 schemes across 26 countries.

The project, which means Sowing Life in Spanish, involved planting 65 hectares of mangrove forests around Puna Island as part of a long-term plan to capture and store carbon. It will also create new ecosystems and protect existing habitats, which are vital for fishing and crabbing.

Starting in late-2020, more than 150,000 red mangrove seedlings were planted in Puna Island by DP World staff and volunteers from the local communities around the port. The project is being extended and aims to reach 100 hectares of forest by 2024.

Carlos Merino, CEO of DP World in Ecuador, said: “We are proud of this important recognition for Ecuador, which strengthens our commitment to working sustainably with the community and environment. This award is dedicated to the habitants of Posorja, El Morro, Puna Island, and others around Guayaquil, where DP World operates, and to those who volunteered with us, sowing life in these new mangrove ecosystems”.

DP World Posorja has a 50-year concession in Ecuador and has invested $1.2 billion, one of the most significant private sector investments in the country’s history.

Guayaquil is the first world-class, sustainable port in Ecuador and one of the most productive in the Latin American region. The port is strategically located on South Pacific, with a deep maritime access channel of 21 nautical miles. Combined with world-class infrastructure, this has allowed the entry of Neo-Panamax vessels into Ecuador for the first time. With these ships capable of carrying up to 14,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEU), DP World Posorja has turned Guayaquil and Ecuador into a regional trade hub.

The IAPH was founded in 1955 and headquartered in Tokyo and has grown into a global alliance representing some 160 ports and 120 port-related businesses in 87 countries. The annual IAPH Sustainability Awards aim to promote the contribution of the port industry to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.