South Korea’s Busan Port Authority has named Ki-chan Nam as its new chief executive with immediate effect.
He takes over the post from Woo Ye-jong who has recently completed a three-year term of office. He took over the role from current IMO general secretary Lim ki-Tak.
The port’s new chief executive has studied both in South Korea and the UK while he has worked in a range of Korean government maritime roles.
He has been a professor of logistics systems engineering for more than 25 years at the Korea Maritime & Ocean University.
He has also previously served as a member of the Busan Port Authority commissioners.
In a statement, Nam said that his key objectives during his tenure will be driving through the redevelopment of the port, improving on port efficiency using digitalization and improving communications with relevant stakeholders.
Busan Port is a major hub for South Korea’s largest shipowner and liner operator Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM).
Earlier this week, HMM announced that it handled 1.15m-teu at the port between January and July, up 14.3% from the same period last year.
Export and import volume rose 14.1% to 608,872-teu and transshipment volume also expanded 14.5% to 541,926-teu over the cited period.
Busan Port has also staked its claim as the launching pad for Maersk Line’s attempt to take its first vessel through the Northern Sea Route.
The 3,600-teu Venta Maersk (built 2018) is reported to have left the port on Wednesday bound for St Petersburg and then Bremerhaven.
The route is expected to cut the travel time from Asia to Europe by up to two weeks compared with the existing route using the Suez Canal.
South Korean media says the voyage is being made amid growing expectations that Busan will be the origin and the destination port for the Northern Sea Route.
