Annual General Assembly (AGA)
PIANC AGA 2026 and 'Navigation: to Net Zero' Conference
Following the acceptance of PIANC UK’s invitation made at the Cape Town PIANC Council to host the 2026 PIANC AGA in May 2026, I am writing to invite you and your national delegates to attend the Annual General Assembly of PIANC in Hull between 13th and 15th May 2026.
The City of Hull has been chosen because it has a rich 800 year maritime history, it has a thriving port and Green Port Hull is the UK’s world class centre for renewable energy, creating wealth and employment for the region. As well as offshore wind there are major opportunities in hydrogen, carbon capture and storage and usage, biofuels, waste to energy, solar, wave and tidal power generation.
The current forecasts show a tremendous investment programme within the North Sea over the next decade, both on and off shore, to achieve a Net Zero target. The view of PIANC UK is that it is very timely to examine the impact of all this activity on the North Sea as a major navigation asset linking the North Sea Countries to each other, and to world-wide shipping routes. In other words can the proposed level of investment and construction exist in harmony with its role in navigation?
Therefore, PIANC UK is also hosting a two-day conference in advance of the AGA titled ‘Navigation: To Net Zero’ on 11th and 12th May 2026. The Conference will exam the impact of the growing demands to use the North Sea to achieve a Net Zero energy economy with the UK, and for that matter within the other countries bordering the North Sea and neighbouring countries. Whilst the focus is primarily on the North Sea, the topics are relevant to many locations around the British Isles, such as within the Celtic Sea, but are also relevant to worldwide development in renewable energy, and therefore it will be of interest to a far wider audience.
Both the AGA and Conference will be held at the Double Tree Hilton Conference Centre in Hull. The UK’s Local Organising Committee for Hull 2026 has prepared a full and exciting programme for delegates. The Conference includes a Welcome Reception and Gala dinner at the Double Tree Hilton. The AGA incudes a Welcome Reception, technical seminars and visits as well as an interesting series of activities for accompanying persons. An AGA banquet will be held at the DEEP, an award winning education and conservation charity with an awe-inspiring aquarium.
Please make a note of the dates, now, in your diaries. Just come for the AGA or just the Conference or sign up for both and achieve a great discount.
I, along with all the Local Organising Committee look forward to welcoming you to Hull in May 2026.
Yours sincerely
Heather Houston
Chair PIANC UK
AGA 2025 - Busan, South-Korea
The Annual General Assembly will be held in Busan, South Korea from 13-16 May 2025.
For more information, please visit the website HERE!
AGA 2024 - Cape Town, South-Africa
The Annual General Assembly 2024 and the 35th PIANC World Congress were held in Cape Town, South Africa.
PIANC would like to thank the Local Organising Committee and in particular its First Delegate, Mr Basil Ngcobo, for hosting these events and putting together this attractive programme.
AGA 2023 - Oslo, Norway
The AGA meeting was held on 25 May 2023 in Oslo, Norway
PIANC would like to thank the Local Organising Committee and in particular Mr Tore Lundestad, First Delegate of the Norwegian Section, for hosting this event and putting together a very attractive programme.
AGA 2022 - Liège, Belgium
The Annual General Assembly (AGA) took place in Liège, Belgium on the 1st of June 2022.
The delegates were hosted at the University of Liège for AGA meeting.
AGA 2019 - Kobe, Japan
Annual General Assembly from 3 to 7 June 2019 were held held in Kobe, Japan.
A special thank to the Local Organising Committee and in particular Mr Hiroyuki Geshi, First Delegate of the Japanese Section, for hosting this event and putting together the very attractive programme.
AGA 2018 - Panama City, Panama
The Annual General Assembly (AGA) 2018 took place in Panama on 5 May 2018. Mr Caude welcomed all participants in Panama City and he thanked the Panamanian Delegation of PIANC for hosting this year’s AGA. The PIANC President also especially welcomed the new First Delegate of PIANC USA, Mr Rickey D. James, as well as the new First Delegate from South Korea, Mr Bumgou Kang.
AGA 2017 - Cairns, Australia
On Monday 19 June 2017, the AGA meeting took place in the Hilton Hotel, gathering some 90 PIANC Delegates from all over the world.
First Delegate of PIANC Australia, Mr Neil Lawson, welcomed the participants and he thanked them all for having travelled all the way to Australia in order to make this another successful AGA meeting. Mr Chris Boland (CEO of Ports North), then took the floor, as to welcome the participants to the city of Cairns and to open the meeting.
AGA 2016 - Bruges, Belgium
On Wednesday May 18, 2016, the marvellous medieval Cloth Hall and Belfry of Bruges were the splendid meeting place for the 116 AGA Delegates, representing 24 PIANC Qualifying Members worldwide. Apart from the traditional items during the AGA, Ms Jo-Ellen Darcysigned the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of the PIANC-SMART Rivers 2017 Conference in Pittsburgh, USA. Moreover, the Italian, Spanish and French representatives signed the MoU of the upcoming editions of the PIANC Mediterranean Days (Med Days). Mr Matthew McCarty received the PIANC De Paepe-Willems Award 2016 with its paper entitled ‘Large Diameter FRP Monopile Systems for Ferry Berths’ and Mr Elio Ciralli (Chairman of RecCom) granted the Marina Excellence Design ‘Jack Nichol’ Award (MEDA) 2016 to Ms Roxie Comstock of Bellingham Marine for the Marina at Keppel Bay in Singapore.
Overview Previous Meetings
