Western Australia took centre stage in global maritime safety and collaboration when Pilbara Ports hosted the 2026 Safe Ships Safe Ports Forum at Optus Stadium in Perth on 20 and 21 October.
The two-day event welcomed more than 900 delegates from Australia and around the world, bringing together maritime leaders, industry experts and port professionals to discuss collaboration, innovation and leadership in maritime safety.
Under the theme ‘Strengthening maritime safety through collaboration, innovation and leadership’, the forum explored key issues and opportunities shaping maritime operations, including safer and more resilient shipping, crew welfare, global supply chain challenges, clean marine fuels, vessel design and international approaches to maritime safety. Keynote addresses, panel discussions and technical sessions brought together perspectives from across the international shipping and ports sector, reinforcing the value of collaboration, innovation and shared learning. The forum also explored how decarbonisation, digitalisation and increasingly complex trade are reshaping ports and maritime operations around the world. Since its inception in 2016, the Safe Ships Safe Ports Forum has become one of Australia’s leading maritime safety conferences and an important platform for industry to connect, share knowledge and work together to improve safety.