Trade Mission News

Bollinger Shipyards has begun fabrication at its newly acquired Mississippi repair facility, Bollinger Mississippi Repair, in preparation to refit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) Ship Ronald H. Brown, the largest ship in NOAA’s fleet. The overhaul is expected to extend the vessel's life, first launched in 1996, by an additional 15 years. Work is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2024.“Here on the Gulf Coast, we’re intimately familiar with the breadth and importance of NOAA’s mission…

Russia has in recent months tried to gain intelligence to sabotage critical infrastructure in the Dutch part of the North Sea, Dutch military intelligence agency MIVD said on Monday.A Russian ship has been detected at an offshore wind farm in the North Sea as it tried to map out energy infrastructure, MIVD head General Jan Swillens said at a news conference.The vessel was escorted out of the North Sea by Dutch marine and coast guard ships before any sabotage effort could become successful…

The Antwerp port community and its various partners are currently on a trade mission to West-Africa, including Benin and Nigeria.A collaboration agreement was signed between Port of Antwerp International (PAI), the consultancy and investment subsidiary of Port of Antwerp, and APEC, its maritime training center, and Nigerian Ports Authority, which manages the 6 ports of Nigeria. This collaboration, which will mainly take the form of training and consulting, underlines the leading role that the port of Antwerp plays in West Africa.The port of Antwerp is known in Africa as the maritime center of Europe, thanks to the numerous supply chain connections. The synergy between maritime, logistics and industrial activities creates a unique platform.

The Port of Cork in Ireland has signed a collaboration agreement with the Port of Amsterdam International, a deal which will see both ports look to strengthen each other.Ireland is an important trading partner for the Netherlands. In 2017, the country exported over 5.5 billion euros of goods to the Netherlands. This makes the Netherlands the sixth biggest export destination for Irish goods.In the same year, Ireland imported over 3.5 billion euros worth of goods from the Netherlands. This chiefly consisted of pharmaceuticals, machines, and transport equipment.The Port of Cork as well as Port of Amsterdam wishes to share their expertise and experience in a number of areas in order to promote trade between their ports.

The Port of Algeciras Authority (APBA) Chairman, Manuel Moron, and the Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group Chairman, Mao Jianhong, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that is set to formalize co-operation between both of the logistics powerhouses and increase commercial flow between Southern Europe and Asia. According to the port and harbour of Algeciras, the MoU was rubber-stamped during the official state visit to Spain of the Chinese President,  Xi Jinping, who - together with the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez - was present at the event."The relationship between the two ports is very close. During the year, several meetings have taken place…

On a trade mission to India, the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) has signed a Cooperative Agreement with Mundra Port, Gujarat State, north of Mumbai. This agreement aims to develop cooperation in marketing and business development while sharing information on marine operations and industry best practices. Mundra Port is India’s largest commercial port. A diversified port, it handles liquid and dry bulk and more than three million TEUs in annual container traffic. It is operated by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ). Vice-President, Growth and Development at the MPA Tony Boemi: “Asia, and especially India, is an emerging market with enormous potential. It and the Port of Montreal are already solidly connected thanks to container services.

During the City Trade Mission to Seoul, Antwerp Port Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding with KITA, the Korea International Trade Association. With 77,000 member companies KITA represents Korea's international trading community. The proposed collaboration between Antwerp Port Authority and KITA represents a significant boost for the port, emphasised Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO-designate of the Port Authority, just before the signing of the MoU. Antwerp hopes to attract significantly more trade from Korea in future, while KITA for its part sees Antwerp as the gateway to Europe for its exports. "In 2015 we sent 77,000 TEU of container freight to Antwerp.

Port of New Orleans Chief Operating Officer Brandy Christian joined Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards in signing a memorandum of understanding with Cuba on Oct. 4 pledging to expand trade and commerce opportunities between Louisiana and the Caribbean nation. The agreement also calls for joint marketing and information sharing efforts to meet those objectives. “The proximity and historical relationship between Cuba and the Port of New Orleans has us well-positioned should the trade embargo be lifted, and we are prepared to play an important role in trade when the time comes,” said Christian, who signed the MOU with Gov. Edwards and Director General Manuel Fernandez Perez Guerra of the National Port Administration of Cuba.

Panama and Cuba, both in the midst of growth and international expansion, are examples of two different economic models that are helping to attract foreign companies through government initiatives providing investor security. Seeking to generate business opportunities and strengthen corporate and institutional ties between the Cuban and Panamanian logistics communities, the Port of Barcelona said it has planned a multi-sector trade mission to Panama City and Havana from November 19 to 25.

The port of Antwerp is to collaborate with Dalian Maritime University (DMU) in northern China for the next three academic years. DMU is a prestigious Chinese maritime university whose alumni include many prominent figures in the shipping industry. In order to permit students to gain experience in the port of Antwerp, the second-largest port of Europe, since 2014 Antwerp Port Authority has presented awards to students who write a thesis about the port or a logistics-related subject. The presentation of the Awards will form part of the programme for the next three academic years, as part of the continued collaboration. To symbolise the far-reaching friendship between Antwerp and Dalian…

Yesterday during a joint trade mission in Montreal, the port authorities of Montreal and Antwerp, Belgium renewed their cooperative agreement. The first agreement, signed in March 2013, resulted in four trade missions to Montreal and Antwerp during which extensive business contacts were developed. These meetings also enabled productive exchanges of information on issues such as sustainable development, land use, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union, global trends in the markets, and the development of port logistics zones. As Sylvie Vachon, President and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority (MPA)…

The Indonesian government has ambitious plans for major infrastructure projects in the near future in order to give a massive boost to the country’s economy, already the largest in South-East Asia. Its shopping list includes among other things the construction of dozens of ports to serve the country’s almost 14,000 islands. To achieve this the Indonesian government is looking abroad for international expertise from among others Antwerp, the second-largest port in Europe. During the foreign trade mission headed by Princess Astrid of Belgium, Port Authority chairman Marc Van Peel signed two framework agreements with IPC Corporate University, a subsidiary of the Indonesian Port Corporation (IPC), one of the country’s four national port authorities.

Britain has signed a deal with Iran making it easier to finance exports, British Business Secretary Sajid Javid said on Wednesday, adding that the country was working with European partners to help lift "quite significant" banking restrictions. "Clearing cash and payments can be an issue for firms," Javid told a conference in London announcing that a memorandum of understanding had been signed between Britain's export agency and its Iranian counterpart. Javid also said he will lead a trade mission to the country later this year.

The growing worldwide demand for marine technologies, port construction and shipbuilding is generating new export opportunities for U.S. companies. As more firms look to boost their bottom line by maximizing their reach to the more than 95 percent of world consumers who live outside of the United States, many are taking advantage of numerous export resources along the way. At the same time, many other businesses have yet to export. International Trade Specialist Maryanne Burke leads the U.S. Commercial Service’s Marine Technology Team, and is based at the Boston U.S.

True to its annual tradition the port of Antwerp is organizing a trade mission to India in February this year. Port Authority chairman Marc Van Peel will be accompanied on his visit to Delhi and Mumbai by Pieter De Crem, the Belgian secretary of state for Foreign Trade. The agenda includes among other things the annual Port of Antwerp reception, the presentation of an award to the Indian forwarders’ association and the opening of a new course offered by JNPT APEC Port Training Centre that was set up in Mumbai last year in close collaboration with APEC, the Antwerp training centre for maritime professionals. The port of Antwerp has been investing for several years now in strengthening collaboration with the Indian business world and local authorities.

The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor handled 2.8 million tons of cargo in 2015, the second highest tonnage in over two decades. Following 2014's all-time record volume, the year marked only the third time the port handled 2.8 million tons or more in the port's 45-year history. Increased shipments of heavy-lift project cargoes (up 96 percent), carbon products (up 37 percent), limestone (up nearly 12 percent) and oils (up 72 percent) helped drive the increased volume. "Our port continues to be a major inland hub for heavy-lift cargoes as our terminal operators handled nearly double the number of large dimensional shipments during 2015 over the previous year," said Port Director Rick Heimann.

Container barge service is back on the upper Columbia and Snake rivers.The Up river Container Barge-Rail Shuttle will help importers and exporters in eastern Washington, Oregon and Idaho move containerized agricultural products to markets in Asia. An informal partnership including Northwest Container Service, Tidewater Barge and the ports of Morrow, Lewiston and Portland helped facilitate the return of this service. The first barge is currently loading at the Port of Lewiston this week and expected to get underway Thursday. The new service would address key issues driving up the cost of transportation in the wake of losing direct carrier service at Terminal 6 in Portland earlier this year— loss of barge service, container availability and cost of trucking to Puget Sound ports.

The port of Antwerp, the second-largest in Europe, is to collaborate with Shanghai Maritime University (SMU), a world-renowned centre of maritime know-how. As of next academic year four master’s students at SMU will receive a Port of Antwerp Maritime Award. With this collaboration Antwerp has opted resolutely in favour of supporting young talent. “Young potentials are the future: as a port we naturally invest in good commercial relations but we also consider supporting the future generations to be equally important,” declared Eddy Bruyninckx, CEO of Antwerp Port Authority, who signed the collaboration agreement in Shanghai. Trade between Antwerp and China has developed over the centuries, so that Antwerp now has very close relations with various Chinese port cities.

Port of Amsterdam signed a Letter of Intent (Lol) with Gujarat Ports Infrastructure & Development Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of Gujarat Maritime Board. The intention is to enhance trade between Gujarat and Amsterdam and intensify existing cooperation. The signing of LoI by AK Rakesh, Chairman of Gujarat Ports Infrastructure & Development Company Limited and CEO and Vice-Chairman of Gujarat Maritime Board and Anthony Van Der Hoest, Commercial Director-Logistics, Port of Amsterdam took place in Ahmedabad (Gujarat, India) during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit. Attending the summit was part of a trade mission of several Dutch companies. Port of Amsterdam will increase cooperation in the development of ports in Gujarat state.

The Nicaraguan port authority Empresa Portuaria Nacional (EPN) is set to take delivery of two newbuilds from Damen Shipyards Group. Damen built both vessels, a Damen Stan Tug 2608 and a Cutter Suction Dredger CSD350, at its yards in the Netherlands, and they are completed and underway. Damen Sales Manager Pieter Becker signed the contract for the Stan Tug 2608 on September 2, 2014 during a maritime trade mission to Nicaragua organized by the Netherlands Council for Trade. The contract for the dredger followed shortly after on November 15.

Royal IHC (IHC) has secured a new contract with the Chinese shipyard, Jin Hai Heavy Industrial Group, for the delivery of a dredging installation package for a trailing suction hopper dredger. The package contains major parts of the dredging installation for the 7,000m³ hopper dredger. The agreement was signed by the two companies and the owner of the vessel (Shen Zhen Dachan Island Co. Ltd.). The General Manager of IHC Tianjin, Ton de Gruijter, signed the contract on behalf of IHC on 27 October 2014. This coincided with the visit of the Dutch trade mission, headed by HE Ms Lilianne Ploumen (the Dutch Government’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation) to Shanghai. Shen Zhen Dachan Island Co. Ltd.’s new dredging vessel will be commissioned at the end of 2015.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, Harbor Commissioners and senior Harbor Department staff are traveling to several Asian countries, meeting with the Port of Long Beach’s key customers to retain and bring more business to Long Beach. The Long Beach officials are scheduled to meet with senior leadership of shipping lines based in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Japan to explain the Port’s competitive advantages for business, and to introduce the new Mayor, Harbor Commissioners and Chief Executive.

The port of Shanghai, the largest in the world, and the port of Antwerp, the second-largest in Europe, are to collaborate more closely. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to this effect during the recent trade mission to Shanghai. Antwerp and Shanghai have maintained close relationships with each other ever since they were first twinned in 1985. The twinning agreement was subsequently confirmed during the Belgian trade mission to China headed by the then prince Philippe of Belgium in 2004. Now, ten years later, the two ports have undertaken to collaborate intensively with one another in a number of fields. Antwerp’s maritime know-how is strongly represented in the port of Shanghai…