Today was our first of a few days visiting the ports of Cyprus, and we visited the Limassol Commercial Port. This specific port houses a few different companies, and was commercialized in 2016. First, we talked with DP World, a shipping logistics company founded in Dubai. As an Industrial Engineering student, supply chain logistics and more specifically, shipping port logistics is a very promising field to go into. A large part of the shipping port industry is optimization: reducing cargo time at port, the most efficient method of storage, a more efficient digital tracking system, etc. An interesting thing DP World mentioned was that they were not so much focused on hiring the smartest and most qualified employees, but the most dedicated and efficient. In this industry, that makes a lot of sense considering how efficient everything needs to be. From what I know and have seen, this is slightly different from common business practices in the US. I feel like there is more of an emphasis on having the best resume, grades, and/or qualifications. 

Next, we listened to Monica Potsou speak about P&O Maritime, a marine services company. She also emphasized how important promptness is in their business. I would be interested in talking to US shipping/port service companies and comparing their priorities and major goals. I would assume it would be similar because, in this industry, time is money. In fact, a short period of congestion or confusion can cost millions of dollars. 

Next, we spoke with representatives from Eurogate. Personally, this was the most interesting presentation because they got more into the Industrial Engineering side of the industry. On average shipping containers stay at the port for two days, but can be held there for as little as 20 minutes. It is fascinating how they can manage to track and move around so many containers on a daily basis, all at once. There are 5,000 slots on the port for TEUs (Twenty-foot equivalent units, or average container), which is a very daunting number to think about in terms of optimization and logistics. They spoke about how there are implementing AI to maximize efficiency in when and where to transport containers. I would imagine this technology is extremely helpful because there are an almost infinite number of combinations of what goes where and when. From 2017 to 2023, they managed to reduce the time a container is available for pickup from 24 hours to just 20 minutes, as a direct result of digitilizing the documentation system. 

Then, we were surprised with lunch on a boat at the old port of Limassol, where we spoke with the Chairman and Port Manager of the Cyprus Port Authority. They were extremely knowledgeable in their field, and also passionate about what they do. While they may be outliers, I feel like that is not extremely common to come by people who are so passionate about their work in the States.