• The event, held yesterday, was chaired by Joan Calabuig, President of APV; Esther Gómez, Vice-rector of Students and Entrepreneurship of UPV; Antonio Torregrosa, General Director of the Fundación Valenciaport; Vicent Esteban Chapapría, Professor of Ports and Coasts of UPV; and Ana Rumbeu, Director of Training of the Fundación Valenciaport.
• The session began with a debate on sustainability in the port logistics sector with the interventions of Juan Carlos Arocas (Trans Italia); Ignacio Ballester, (MSC Spain); Miguel Ruiz, (APMT); Federico Torres, (APV); and Roser Obrer, (Office of the Government Commissioner for the Mediterranean Corridor) and with the general director of the Fundación Valenciaport, Antonio Torregrosa, as moderator.

Valencia, 7 July 2023. – Yesterday afternoon, the Fundación Valenciaport 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 chaired by Joan Calabuig, president of the Port Authority of Valencia (APV); Esther Gómez, Vice-Rector for Students and Entrepreneurship of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV); Antonio Torregrosa, General Director of the Fundación Valenciaport; Vicent Esteban Chapapría, Professor of Ports and Coasts of the UPV and Academic Director of the Master; and Ana Rumbeu, Director of Training of the Fundación Valenciaport.

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 what are taught 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 included the interventions of 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 Valencia 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.

Then, the closing ceremony of the XXXI edition of the Master’s Degree 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 APV, the Fundación Valenciaport 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 Fundación Valenciaport 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 event concluded with a speech by the president of the APV, who highlighted the importance of training as an element of competitiveness for companies, “companies in the sector will be able to face current challenges thanks to continuous training and specialisation” and stressed the need to detect profiles in companies that require this training “to promote their professional development and support the competitiveness of their company and the Port of Valencia”. In addition, Calabuig invited the students to remain connected with the Fundación Valenciaport by joining the alumni association, through the employment exchange or by participating in open innovation projects within the framework of its new Opentop initiative, and he also announced some of the new features of the 32nd edition of the Master, which is scheduled to begin on 19 October and in which digitalisation, open innovation and, of course, sustainability will once again be of great relevance.

The Master’s Programme (MGPT)

The Master in Port Management and Intermodal Transport (MGPT) is owned by the Port Authority of Valencia (APV), is directed by the Fundación Valenciaport 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.