Royal HaskoningDHV (www.royalhaskoningdhv.com) organise and deliver the Marine Minerals Academy on behalf of The Crown Estate - owners of almost all of the sand and gravel resources lying off of the coast of England, Wales and Northern Ireland (www.thecrownestate.co.uk).

The Crown Estate award and manage commercial agreements for companies to extract between 15 and 20 million tonnes of aggregates from the sea bed annually. They recognise that knowledge forms a key component of the landscape in a specialist sector, and have designed a course to equip future company leaders and decision makers in the Marine Aggregates industry with the skills and understanding required for success.

“An Introduction to the UK Ports Industry” helps attendees develop an understanding of how the port industry works, and how activities in and around the port influence their own activities and interaction.

I was first invited to design and present this section of the course in 2019, and after a Covid-19 enforced hiatus, I updated presentation for the 2022 cohort. 2023 will mark the third year that I have participated in the MMA.

With three decades of experience in the industry, I am well positioned to provide key insights into the commercial and operational aspects of the port industry. The presentation typically includes sections on: -

> An overview of the port industry in numbers
> Ownership models
> Revenue streams
> Current Topics affecting the Industry
> Operating Challenges
> Opportunities