Port appoints honorary representatives, sets up alumni association
Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium graced a Port of Antwerp reception here on November 9, 2017, which was attended by a cross-section of representatives from India’s maritime, cargo and logistics trade. The Royal couple was accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, important Ministers and a high-powered business delegation comprising CEOs of about 90 Belgian companies, it is learnt.
The King and the Queen, who were on a seven day State visit to India that concluded on Nov. 11, spent some time interacting with a few of the leading lights of the maritime fraternity on the occasion.
Among the key Antwerp port officials present at this annual event were Mr Marc Van Peel, Chairman, Antwerp Port Authority and Vice Mayor of Antwerp city, Mr Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO, Antwerp Port Authority, Mr Luc Arnouts, Chief Commercial Officer, Port of Antwerp, Mr Raj Khalid, Representative of Port of Antwerp in India, and Ms Malini Dutt, also representing Port of Antwerp in India.
Mr Jacques Vandermeiren, in his address, highlighted the continuing growth of the port this year too, and emphasised that it has built up a solid network among the Indian business community, having had a representative office here for more than a decade. He appreciated the role being played by Mr Raj Khalid in India.
Mr Jacques Vandermeiren also announced the appointment of honorary representatives of the port in India, each of them to be active in a specific region, in an effort to further expand its network in the country. Mr Rajesh Verma of A. R. Shipping and President, Ludhiana Custom House Agents Association, has been appointed the honorary representative for North India. Mr Deepak Ramaswamy of International Clearing & Shipping Agency (India) is the honorary representative for South India, and Mr Prashant Popat of Velji Dosabhai & Sons, for West India. The three were officially installed at the ceremony. “We believe strongly in the potential of India,” said Mr Vandermeiren. “We are proud that Antwerp has the largest market share in India of all ports in North-West Europe. In order to reinforce this position, we have expanded our Mumbai-based network with these honorary representatives focusing on particular regions, thus emphasising our ambition to further boost trade between Antwerp and India in the future.”
Also, Mr Vandermeiren announced the setting up of the Port of Antwerp Alumni Association (PA3), to give an additional boost to Antwerp’s reputation in India.
With APEC, the Antwerp training centre, the port of Antwerp has a long tradition of training port professionals, both at home and abroad. And with the opening of JNPT APEC Port Training Centre two years ago, this expertise was also established in Mumbai. Meanwhile, in 2015, a three-day training programme was introduced in Antwerp for young Indian professionals, mainly from logistics companies, for them to learn about the port of Antwerp in all its aspects. So far the course has attracted some 60 participants from all over India.
Graduates from this programme will now automatically become members of PA3. This new network association will organise events in India with the aim of bringing professionals together and enabling them to exchange experience.
Ms Madhavi Bakhle, a member of the PA3 Board, was presented a commemorative statue by Mr Vandermeiren at the reception.
Mr Marc Van Peel highlighted that Antwerp port, a huge logistics hub, is the leading European gateway for trade with India. The volume of trade between India and Antwerp has grown over the past few years to more than 6 million tonnes of freight in 2016. This year the figures are even better: 10% more freight has already been handled in the first three quarters than in the same period last year. Containers and steel in particular are performing well, while chemicals make up a significant portion of the annual volume, the release informed.
Mr Geert Bourgeois, Minister-President of the Flemish Government, who also spoke on the occasion, highlighted that 60% of the purchasing power in Europe lies within 500 km of Antwerp port. He pointed out that India is the 7th largest trading partner of the key economic region of Flanders.
Mr Bourgeois also called for boosting international trade, at a time of increasing protectionism, and added that there is scope for further cooperation between India and Belgium in the areas of shipping, logistics and transport.[/vc_column_text]
