Port Logistics Seminar Opens in Antwerp Port

The Port Logistics seminar was officially opened on Wednesday this week by Alexander De Croo, Belgian deputy prime minister and minister of Development Cooperation, Digital Agenda, Telecom and Postal Services. The seminar is organised by APEC-Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Center, the training institute of the port of Antwerp. It is being attended by 33 participants from 21 different countries including Indonesia, Ukraine and Vietnam.

Such seminars and courses enable the port of Antwerp to make its know-how, expertise and other advantages known around the world. However they would not be possible without input from port companies and the financial support of the Flemish government and the development aid provided by the Belgian national government. In the present case there are three participants from Morocco who have been able to attend thanks to a grant from Belgian Technical Cooperation (BTC), the Belgian development agency.

Minister De Croo declared: “With the support offered to APEC-Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Center we demonstrate what development cooperation is really about, namely providing the tools that are necessary to achieve economic growth. The economic resilience of people and societies is a crucial part of our development agenda. Together with respect for human rights, economic progress is the most powerful engine for developing countries. The APEC approach is in line with this vision. By transferring know-how from Flanders to the rest of the world, it enables other people to boost their port activities and strengthen their local economy, so ensuring that people can benefit from economic progress.”

APEC-Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Center has played an important role in transferring know-how in all aspects of port activities from Flanders to the rest of the world ever since 1977. During that time the standard seminars, tailor-made courses and study visits have brought more than 14,000 people from 150 countries to Antwerp and Flanders. As a result APEC has gained a reputation of being much more than a training centre for the maritime industry; it has become a window on the world that brings people from all over the planet into closer contact with one another, enabling them to exchange knowledge and expertise.

With its short, practice-oriented, interactive seminars, Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Center ensures effective transfer of nearly all aspects of modern port activities, with collaboration between the public and private port companies playing a fundamental role. During the seminars, participants come in contact the wealth of expertise available in the ports of Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Ghent and Ostend.

The Port Logistics seminar covers all aspects of modern logistics in a maritime context. Through presentations by private players and the various port authorities, participants learn about freight transport, storage, distribution and handling, as well as customs regulations. Special attention is paid to relations with the hinterland, handling of dangerous goods and supply chain management.