There is a growing trend among ports worldwide to include infrastructure design in their response to climate impacts.

BMT, a maritime-orientated technical consulting firm, sees an acceleration of interest in climate-related risks from ports and adjacent infrastructure globally. This is due to a growing recognition of the real and significant threats of climate change, according to Greg Fisk, a senior consultant with more than 25 years’ experience in natural hazard and climate change planning and adaptation.

“The primary drivers include extreme weather events’ increasing frequency and severity, predicted rising sea levels, and associated operational and infrastructure vulnerabilities,” he told Daily Cargo News.

Furthermore, regulatory pressures such as international climate disclosure mandates are pushing port owners and operators to act.

“Customer expectations for sustainability and the financial risk of inaction, including insurance concerns and borrowing requirements, have also driven the prioritisation of climate risk management,” Mr Fisk said.

He said BMT has been involved in various climate risk management and resilience projects for port authorities in Australia.

“Our work encompasses everything from qualitative assessments of climate variability to comprehensive risk assessments of assets involving more detailed numerical modelling and scenario analysis.”

The work extends beyond risk identification to resilience and adaptation planning. This includes strategic advice on how an organisation can respond to climate risks and develop climate-resilient infrastructure at every stage of planning and project delivery.

“Developing metrics and indicators for measuring climate impacts and the effectiveness of management responses is also becoming increasingly important as a key pillar in climate disclosure planning,” Mr Fisk said.

This is of increasing interest to Australian maritime public sector companies and organisations such as ports in preparation for the Australian government’s climate risk disclosure regulations, mirroring approaches implemented in the UK, New Zealand and Singapore.

By their coastal location, all ports will be exposed to climate-related risks and are sensitive assets as they can support local, regional, state and national economic value chains.

Mr Fisk noted that ports in northern Australia will need to cope with increased extreme heat waves and more intense cyclones. Southern ports are likely to need to consider increased flood impacts from more intense rainfall events, unseasonable heat, increased fire danger and longer duration drought conditions, as well as prospective changes in wind intensity based on historical norms.

“While climate impacts will vary from place to place, all ports on the coast and in tidal waterways must prepare for larger storm tide flooding and erosion impacts from sea level rise,” he said.

Mitigate and adapt

Managing climate impacts has moved beyond mitigation efforts such as decarbonisation to include adaptation measures, which requires an integration of sustainability activities and infrastructure resilience.

“At BMT, we stress the importance of climate-smart planning, which addresses not only the reduction of carbon emissions but also the development of infrastructure that can withstand future climate impacts,” Mr Fisk said.

“Ports that integrate resilience and adaptation measures can experience greater operational efficiencies, respond more effectively and bounce back quicker from weather-related disruptions and realise long-term cost savings.”

In Australia, this shift is further supported by evolving regulatory frameworks, such as the federal government’s climate risk disclosure requirements for large financial institutions and ASX-listed companies. These requirements include consideration of both transition risks such as decarbonisation and physical risks including impacts from extreme weather.

“As many ports are only embarking on initial climate risk studies, one of the largest benefits has been building awareness of how physical risks affect assets, operations and workforces,” Mr Fisk said.

Additionally, there is the growing realisation that ports sit within a larger transport infrastructure ecosystem, whereby their resilience to climate impacts is also highly dependent on the resilience of adjacent infrastructure such as roads and rail.

“Port owners who have moved to implement climate risk management strategies will realise value over time, such as reduced operational disruptions, lower long-term maintenance costs of climate-resilient assets and safer workforces with fewer incidents,” he said.

In Mozambique, for example, BMT helped design transhipment units equipped with anti-spillage technologies and climate-resilient infrastructure, ensuring compliance with international environmental standards. These measures mitigated pollution risks and enhanced the port’s overall operational efficiency.

“By being proactive about climate, ports can avoid regulatory penalties, costly retrofits and asset replacement and recover faster from extreme weather events,” Mr Fisk said, adding this proactive approach creates both financial and non-financial value, protecting the long-term viability of port operations.

Need for standards

At present most climate risk standards are generic and not specialised to ports and the maritime sector. Developing specific standards will significantly assist in consistency and transparency, according to Mr Fisk.

“Such standards would enable uniformity in measuring and mitigating climate risks across different regions. They would also facilitate the development of best practices and allow port operators to secure essential funding and financing for adaptive infrastructure,” he said.

“We have been involved in developing some early guidance for industry as part of our involvement in the National Climate Change and Adaptation Research Facility.

“Furthermore, international efforts like PIANC’s guidelines on climate risk and adaptation demonstrate that the maritime sector recognises the need for more standardised approaches to managing climate risks.”

Engineering perspective

Ports are long-term investments, and the infrastructure built today must be designed to remain functional and resilient for decades despite the evolving and multi-faceted risks posed by climate change.

“For example, engineers typically have to include rising sea levels over the port asset’s design life, which is accepted practice,” Mr Fisk said.

“However, we are also seeing the need to take into account the potential for more frequent and more intense storm activities … including higher design wind speeds and increasing tidal surges.”

By being proactive about climate, ports can avoid regulatory penalties, costly retrofits and asset replacement and recover faster from extreme weather events.

Greg Fisk, BMT

BMT uses advanced simulation tools to de-risk, optimise and model various climate scenarios, including sea-level rise and storm surges on port infrastructure. This integrates predictive climate data into resilient infrastructure designs while balancing operational needs.

“The challenge is ensuring these designs are robust enough to handle future uncertainties without compromising current port functionality,” Mr Fisk said.

A notable example is the Port of Rotterdam, which has integrated extensive flood protection systems and implemented long-term climate adaptation strategies as part of its expansion plans.

Similarly, the Port of Singapore has invested heavily in resilient infrastructure and automation to manage climate risks and improve operational efficiency.

Several Australian ports are also beginning to take similar proactive steps to understand climate risks and align with climate disclosure regulations and stakeholder needs.

BMT has worked with a number of domestic operators including Port of Cairns, TasPorts, North Queensland Bulk Ports, Port of Geraldton and the Gold Coast Waterways Authority.

“These examples underscore the importance of proactive risk management and climate adaptation to sustain long-term port assets, operations and workforces,” Mr Fisk said.

This article appeared in the February | March 2025 edition of DCN Magazine