Port of Amsterdam Signs Pact with Port of Fujairah
Port of Amsterdam, STC-Group Holding and Iskes Towage & Salvage signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Amsterdam with Port of Fujairah (PoF), one of the largest oil storage and bunkering hubs in the world. The agreement focuses on further strategic cooperation.
Located on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates, the port of Fujairah has seen tremendous growth in the past decades, turning from a regional multi-purpose Port into an important part of the global oil supply chain. PoF strives to consolidate and further expand on its achieved market position and to improve its port operations to live up to the standard of a world class port.
As part of Amsterdam Port Consultants (APC), a port advisory foundation consisting of partners with strong ties to Amsterdam, Port of Amsterdam, STC-Group and Iskes executed an assessment of the current Marine operations in the port of Fujairah in 2015.
Recommendations were implemented since then, while Iskes and STC-Group set up training programmes for PoF employees. With the conclusion of the implementation track, all parties expressed a desire to continue the fruitful cooperation.
As the port of Amsterdam is the largest gasoline hub in Northwestern Europe, both ports are important cogs in the global oil product supply chain. Closer ties are therefore logical and improve strategic positioning.
The attendance of His Highness Sheikh Saleh bin Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Chairman of PoF, underlined the importance attached to the partnerships. The oil products market is a field for direct mutual added value, but both ports have ambitions beyond this specific cargo. The strategic cooperation will therefore seek a broader scope, in order to extend its benefits to other areas as well.
As the CEO of Port of Amsterdam, Mr. Koen Overtoom, indicated, “We are a true Port of Partnerships. We look for strong, long-term relations with organisations, like STC-Group and Iskes, and with other ports. With Port of Fujairah, we have found a partner that plays a large role in a supply chain that is both very important to the port of Amsterdam and one that is subject to rapid developments. We look forward to the continuation of this strategic partnership and the benefits it will bring to both sides.”
This sentiment was echoed by Capt. Mousa Murad, the General Manager of PoF, when he said, “Port of Fujairah has grown rapidly over the years. We are very proud of all that we have accomplished, but also recognise that the support of partners is instrumental in maintaining and expanding our position.”
