Antwerp Port takes Roadshow to India

 

The port of Antwerp has planned a Roadshow in India as this country has generated a record 5 million tonnes of cargo in Antwerp in 2014. The roadshow has been programmed from 9 to 13 February 2015.

With an annual freight volume of 199 million tonnes the port of Antwerp is the second-largest in Europe. Its central location in the heart of Europe makes it possible to serve a huge consumer market very quickly: an essential advantage for exporting countries that target the European consumer. To help convince such countries of the unique position occupied by Antwerp in the European port landscape, the Antwerp port community regularly organises missions abroad.

India as a growth market

The port of Antwerp has long been convinced of the economic growth potential of India. Already in 2006 the Port Authority appointed its first full-time representative in the port city of Mumbai. The western Indian cities of Mumbai, Pune and Nasik together form the “Golden Triangle” of India which with industries such as IT services, carmaking, manufacturing and biotech is one of the country’s most important economic regions. Mumbai is one of the Top 10 commercial cities in the world.

The Port Authority will be holding an investment seminar here on 12 February, following on from Pune on 10 February. At this seminar the Port Authority together with representatives from Flanders Investment & Trade and the Belgian Ministry of Finance will present the advantages of the port of Antwerp as an excellent investment location. The annual Port of Antwerp Reception will be held in Mumbai on 12 February, at which Antwerp port companies will have the opportunity to network with their Indian opposite numbers. The highpoints of the programme will the presentation of a Belgian honour to Shashi Kiran Shetty, boss of the logistics multinational Allround Logistics, and the signature of an agreement between APEC (the port of Antwerp’s international training centre) and the Indian port JNPT.

The advantages of Antwerp

“Exporters view ports as just one link in the overall supply chain, with the main criteria being efficiency and reliability. In other words, as a port you have to ensure that the goods are handled in a transparent way and that they reach the end customer quickly,” explains Antwerp port alderman Marc Van Peel who is taking part in the mission. With the Antwerp Port Community System, which offers a network of solutions for electronic communication within the supply chain, the port is able to offer a unique tool for this. At the end of 2014 the port of Antwerp in collaboration with AMTOI (Association of Multimodal Transport Operators of India) launched the India Nation platform to facilitate contacts and exchange of information between Antwerp and Indian forwarders, shippers and logistics companies, thus streamlining the flow of goods through the port of Antwerp.