The METRANS Transportation Consortium hosted the International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME) conference in Long Beach, California on September 5-8, 2023. IAME is an international association with over 300 individual members from every continent and more than 10 corporate members. The event garnered a large international audience with over 160 maritime professionals joining the conference. More than 130 papers covering a variety of topics including the cruise industry, container terminal optimization, and digitization were presented.

The theme for this year’s conference was “New Realities in the Global Maritime Economy.” Researchers and industry leaders convened to explore what is next for the maritime economy in an environment of lingering pandemic anxieties, geopolitical conflicts, rapid technological change, and increasing urgency to manage global climate change. The conference inspired participants from around the world to engage in innovative collaborations between academia, government, and industries in response to a rapidly changing world.

The special interest panel session,  “Rules vs. Reality: California’s Freight Regulations”, focused on California's advanced clean fleet rules and regulations and featured panelists Wayne Nastri, Executive Officer for the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD), Matt Schrap, Chief Executive Officer of the Harbor Trucking Association, and Thomas Jelenic, Vice President of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association.

On the last day of the conference, attendees joined a Port of Long Beach harbor boat tour.

The METRANS team would like to thank our 2023 IAME Sponsors: The Port of Long Beach, The Port of Los Angeles, and Starcrest Consulting Group.