Ports of Nagoya and Antwerp sign Sister Port Agreement
The port of Antwerp and the port of Nagoya have renewed their collaboration agreement, said in the company's press release. The agreement expands on the treaty of friendship that was first signed 25 years ago. The formal signing of the renewed twinning agreement was held on 28th August during a ceremony on the construction site for the new Deurganckdocklock, giving access to the left bank of the river Scheldt. This lock will enter operation in 2016 and will be the biggest in the world. The agreement was signed on behalf of Nagoya Port Authority by executive vice president Takayuki Kondo. The signatories for Antwerp Port Authority were port alderman and Port Authority chairman Marc Van Peel and CEO Eddy Bruyninckx. The governor of the province of Antwerp, Mrs Cathy Berx attended the ceremony.
Nagoya is the fourth-largest city in Japan and capital of the prefecture of Aichi, with some 2.3 million inhabitants. The city has also developed into a centre of trade and industry. Important industries include car manufacturing, chemicals, paper and toys. Nagoya is also a major port, with a freight volume of 203 million tonnes in 2012 including 2.7 million TEU of containers.
The port of Antwerp for its part had a freight volume of 184 million tonnes in 2012 and handled just over 8.6 million TEU, making it the second-largest port in Europe. It is also home to the largest petrochemical cluster in Europe. In the meantime a number of Japanese companies have established a firm footing in Antwerp. Thus the Japanese forwarder Meiko Europe recently celebrated 35 years of presence in Antwerp. The NYK shipping company for its part has been established in Antwerp for more than 100 years and now has its own ro/ro terminal here. The car company Mazda has its European hub in the port of Antwerp.
In the new twinning agreement the Nagoya and Antwerp port authorities emphasise that they will collaborate in projects that further strengthen the links between the two ports, that they will share best practices in port management, and that they will examine ways of further promoting trade between the ports.
The first treaty of friendship between the ports of Antwerp and Nagoya dates from November 1988, 25 years ago. During this period it contributed to good relations between the two ports and the development of sustainable commercial relations between them. The treaty was first renewed in 2002 on the occasion of a visit to Japan by crown prince Philip of Belgium.
