• The closing ceremony of the Master was presided over by Joan Calabuig, president of Valenciaport, who affirmed that training is a key tool in the management of the ports and a fundamental element as a lever for change.

• Together with Calabuig, Esther Gómez, Vice-Rector for Students and Entrepreneurship at UPV; Antonio Torregrosa, General Director of the Valenciaport Foundation; Vicent Esteban Chapapría, Professor of Ports and Coasts at UPV; and Ana Rumbeu, Director of Training at the Valenciaport Foundation, presided over the event.

• The session began with a debate on sustainability in the port logistics sector with the interventions of Juan Carlos Arocas ; Ignacio Ballester,; Miguel Ruiz, ; Federico Torres, ; and Roser Obrer, and with the director General of the Valenciaport Foundation, Antonio Torregrosa, as moderator

The Valenciaport Foundation held the closing ceremony of the 31st edition of the Master’s Degree in Port Management and Intermodal Transport and the awarding of degrees to the students of previous editions, in a ceremony presided over by Joan Calabuig, president of the Port Authority of València (PAV) who addressed the students congratulating them on their efforts, “the ports are facing important challenges and hence the need for well-trained professionals”.

Calabuig stressed that training is a key tool in port management and a fundamental element as a lever for change. “There is no doubt that we have a port community that is dynamic, professional and committed to training and the master’s degree is and must continue to be an important source of recruitment and continuous training”.

Along with Calabuig, presiding over the closing ceremony were Esther Gómez, Vice-Rector for Students and Entrepreneurship at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV); Antonio Torregrosa, Director General of the Valenciaport Foundation; Vicent Esteban Chapapría, Professor of Ports and Coasts at the UPV and Academic Director of the master’s degree; and Ana Rumbeu, Director of Training at the Valenciaport Foundation.

Antonio Torregrosa welcomed the attendees and introduced and moderated the debate on sustainability in the port logistics sector, “undoubtedly the finishing touch to close this 31st edition”, emphasising the high level of the Master’s training programme, as well as its teaching staff, “debates, sessions and conferences like these are the ones given in the Master’s”, “we think that sustainability is a key issue in the sector and as we could not choose just one speaker today we have invited five great professionals”.

The debate featured speeches by Juan Carlos Arocas, Managing Director Iberia of Trans Italia; Ignacio Ballester, Deputy Managing Director of MSC Spain; and Miguel Ruiz, Director of Institutional and Labour Relations of APMT Spain Gateways, who presented the decarbonisation strategies of Trans Italia, MSC and APMT respectively.

The fourth speaker, Federico Torres, Director of Ecological Transition of the APV, focused on the Valenciaport Zero Net Emissions 2030 plan and, finally, Roser Obrer, from the Office of the Government Commissioner for the Mediterranean Corridor, highlighted the role of the ports of València and Sagunto in promoting sustainable transport in the transport chains, sparking debate among the participants.

Other points that were underlined as fundamental to improve sustainability in the sector were the importance of cooperation and institutional support, as well as the need to invest in infrastructures and in adapting to the use of the fuels of the future.

Closing ceremony and prize-giving ceremony

The closing ceremony of the 31st edition of the master’s course began, in which the president of the APV, Joan Calabuig, thanked all the attendees for their presence and gave way to the awarding of diplomas to the students.

The Vice-Chancellor of the UPV took the floor and congratulated “the PAV, the Valenciaport Foundation and all those who make this master’s degree possible”, “a programme that is very close to reality, at the forefront of knowledge and technology, and which has already internalised the challenges of digital transformation, ecological transition, innovation and talent development”.

Afterwards, the director of Training of the Valenciaport Foundation proceeded to the presentation of diplomas to the students of previous editions who have completed their Master’s degree project. With the 24 new graduates, nearly 1,000 professionals and young university students have completed this postgraduate programme.

Afterwards, diplomas of recognition were awarded to the most outstanding students of this edition. The best team of the 31st promotion of the Master was formed by the students Francisco Sanfélix, Germán Aguilar, Jorge Gubbins, Bruno López and Candela Mañas; and the best academic record also went to Francisco Sanfélix.

Finally, Bruno López, student of the 31st edition and Intermodal Manager of the company Medlog Logistics, gave a speech on behalf of the students who finished their academic programme yesterday.

The Master’s Programme (MGPT)

The Master’s Degree in Port Management and Intermodal Transport (MGPT) is owned by the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV), is directed by the Valenciaport Foundation and, since the XXVII edition, is a degree of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV). The programme consists of 60 ECTS credits that correspond to 600 teaching hours, including content and final master’s degree work.

The MGPT has established itself as the most internationally prestigious training programme in Spanish, specialising in ports and transport, and has found a wide echo among professionals and postgraduates in Spain, Europe and Latin America.