Port of Antwerp Expands Collaboration in India

A Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was signed between the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and Antwerp Port Authority in the presence of HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium and representatives of the federal and regional governments.

The MoC, signed by Antwerp Port Authority chairman Marc Van Peel and MCCI chairman Schivaraman, seeks to further develop the already good relations between the two organisations.

With this new partnership the Port of Antwerp further confirms its leading position in trade with India. The Port Authority and MCCI recognise their mutual economic interests, and have undertaken to further develop existing and new commercial relations for the benefit of both regions. As the region’s oldest chamber of commerce, the MCCI is a partner with high added value. Thanks in part to collaboration agreements such as the present MoC, the port of Antwerp expects to further boost the volume of Indian freight passing through Antwerp.

Chennai is one of the largest cities in India and has enjoyed an economic boom in recent years thanks to among other things its IT and service industries. The city is also known as the “Detroit of India” because of its car industry. And with a good developed rail network and an expanding port, Chennai is the main gateway to southern India. In 2012 trade with India generated 4.3 million tonnes of cargo for the port of Antwerp.

The Antwerp port community is very well aware of India’s growth potential, and so is targeting investments on this region in close collaboration with the business community and local authorities. As part of this effort the Port Authority has maintained a permanent representative in Mumbai since 2006 and decided in 2012 to form a strategic alliance with Essar Ports.

The Union Minister of Shipping Shri G.K. Vasan pointed out yesterday that within the European Union; Belgium is India’s 2nd largest trading partner with more than 150 Belgian companies in India with interests in dredging, chemicals, engineering goods, electronics and software etc.

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Press Release, November 29, 2013