Antwerp, Bandar Abbas sign sister port agreement

The Belgian port of Antwerp and the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas signed sister port agreement on Monday in the presence of François Delhaye the Belgian ambassador to Iran, Director of Ports and Maritime Organization, Mohammad Saeednejad and CEO of Antwerp Port Eddy Bruyninckx, AVA Diplomatic reports.

On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Saeednejad said that Iran enjoys a strategic position in Middle East and West Asia which helps to play an important role as transit hub in the region.

He hoped to witness the promotion of the current transit conditions of the region by development of countries of the region.

Meanwhile, Bruyninckx said in his speech to the ceremony, “today is a memorable day,” because we signed an agreement with the port of Bandar Abbas.

We see the signing of such an MoU as a new starting point in our relationship, said the Belgian official adding that a relationship based not only on old common values, but also on future mutual interest. This MoU expresses firmly and clearly that we are committed to each other and by doing so, both of our regions can prosper, Bruyninckx said.

W are especially proud to see that IRISL is calling on Antwerp again, both with container- and breakbulk-vessels, and that we’ve handled more Iranian cargo during the last four months as we did in the whole previous year, he added.

Like Iran, Antwerp is on a growth curve today, said Bruyninckx adding that Last year, our port handled a record volume of 208 million tons and as things look today, we will set new record close to 215 million tons in 2016.

The port of Antwerp, is a port in the heart of Europe and is Europe’s second-largest seaport that ranks among the world’s top twenty.

The estuary is navigable by ships of more than 100,000 tons as far as 80 km inland. The inland location means that the port of Antwerp enjoys a more central location in Europe than the majority of North Sea ports.

Antwerp’s docks are connected to the hinterland by rail, waterway and road. As a result, the port of Antwerp has become one of Europe’s largest sea ports, ranking second behind Rotterdam by total freight shipped. Its international rankings vary from 11th to 20th.

Sister port relationships strengthen the economic and commercial bond between the respective countries, which focus on technology and operational improvements, and allow sharing components of environmental programs and policies regarding air quality, water quality and wildlife habitats.

A sister port agreement may also call for the sharing of various information in port infrastructure improvement, commercial facilities development, port operation and cooperation for trade vitalization and service improvement.