The European Union (EU), France, and Poland are pleased to announce the official launch of the Global Ports Safety (GPS) project, a strategic initiative aimed at enhancing the safety, resilience, and sustainability of maritime trade routes in Asia and between Asia and Europe. 

The launch event, hosted in Bangkok today, brings together representatives from twelve ports across eight countries - Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines - to collectively set goals for ports safety and decarbonisation in the region.

Co-funded by the EU and France, in collaboration with Poland, and implemented by Expertise France, the GPS project aligns with the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy. This strategy seeks to boost smart, clean, and secure links in digital, energy and transport sectors, and to strengthen health, education, and research systems across the world. The EU Global Gateway Strategy is implemented through a Team Europe approach, bringing together the EU, their Member States, and their financial and development institutions.

With the support of Czech Republic, Singapore and the Republic of Korea, the GPS project will deliver technical assistance, including workshops and training, as well as equipment to the selected ports, and promote decarbonisation to reduce the environmental impact of port operations. These efforts aim to enhance prevention and response to dangerous goods incidents, raise awareness, and share best European practices and international standards on safety prevention and incident response in strategic industrial ports. The EU is funding the GPS project with €6 million over a period of 4 years until June 2028.

The collaboration between the EU, France, Poland, and the partner countries underscores a commitment to fostering cooperation and partnership in Asia and between Europe and Asia. By working together, stakeholders aim to create a safer and more sustainable maritime environment that benefits global trade and the communities it serves.

GPS in brief

• € 8.5 million invested, for the 2024 to 2028 period

• 12 port studies to identify vulnerabilities and needs for safety management improvement

• 140 personnel trained in Port and Industrial Safety 

• 100 personnel trained in decarbonised maritime fuels management safely

• 250 personnel trained in incident management involving hazardous material, flammable liquid or gas, and on emergency response on ships

• 80 participants attending crisis management tabletop exercises 

• 7 languages for the training course materials, available online (Learning Management System)

• 1 regional training centre on hazardous materials incidents management in Vietnam

• 1 regional training centre on emergencies on ships management in the Philippines

• 12 sets of equipment provided to response team at beneficiary ports