The International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) has unveiled a package of assessment tools intended to measure and accelerate port readiness for low-carbon fuels and shore power, sources indicated on 5 November 2026. The release came during the 2026 World Ports Conference in London, held under the hashtag #IAPH2026.

IAPH presented the suite as a practical set of frameworks designed to help ports identify gaps and prepare infrastructure for new fuel types and the electrical supply needs of visiting vessels. The association said the instruments target several discrete functions of port operations that will be affected as shipping switches to low-carbon energy sources.

The published frameworks cover port readiness for bunkering, storage, loading, discharging and transshipment of low-carbon fuels, alongside an assessment for the provision of onshore power supply. Each framework is described as an assessment tool intended to benchmark capability and inform investment and planning decisions at individual terminals and across port networks.

Fuel-handling readiness

One strand of the initiative focuses on fuel-handling operations and examines the entire chain from receipt and storage through to fuel transfer and transshipment. IAPH’s approach, as reported, groups bunkering and fuel logistics functions so ports can evaluate technical, safety and commercial arrangements needed for a range of low-carbon fuels.

The frameworks are framed as practical checklists and scoring tools that ports may use to establish current status, prioritise upgrades and plan for regulatory and market changes. The material also aims to make it easier for ports to communicate capability to shipping lines, fuel suppliers and regulators without relying on bespoke assessments for every fuel type.

Onshore power and electrical supply

A separate assessment in the suite addresses onshore power supply for berthed vessels, covering the readiness of electrical infrastructure to receive shipboard demand. The onshore power tool is intended to help ports identify upgrades to shore-side transformers, connectors and grid connections as part of wider decarbonisation planning.

Taken together, the tools are presented as instruments to add momentum to the port industry’s decarbonisation ambitions by creating common assessment standards that can be applied across locations. reports’s report highlighted the timing of the release at the World Ports Conference as intended to drive immediate industry discussion and follow-up action among port authorities and terminal operators.

The IAPH materials reported on 5 November 2026 are positioned as assessment frameworks rather than prescriptive technical standards; the emphasis in the release is on enabling comparison, prioritisation and planning. The association frames the work as a response to increasing demand from shipping and energy stakeholders for clarity about where ports stand and what investments will be required as fuels and power provision evolve.

Ports and other stakeholders attending the conference were invited to review the documents and consider how the tools might be applied to local conditions and national regulatory regimes. The published descriptions indicate the frameworks are modular, allowing ports to adopt all or some elements according to existing capability and strategic priorities.

A short factual list of items the IAPH suite addresses:

  • Bunkering and fuel transfer operations for low-carbon fuels.
  • Storage and handling protocols for new fuel types.
  • Loading, discharging and transshipment procedures.
  • Assessment of onshore power supply readiness.

reports’s coverage on 5 November 2026 provided the initial public notice of the release at the London conference. The conference setting and timing were used to present the tools directly to port officials and industry delegates, with the stated objective of supporting ports as they prepare for an evolving energy mix in shipping.