Antwerp Port Authority opens second office in India

A second office for Antwerp Port Authority in India has been ceremonially opened by Prince Philippe of Belgium and port alderman Marc Van Peel. After the office in Mumbai (opened in 2006) the Port Authority has opted for the growth city of Pune. This city located 180 km from Mumbai lies in the heart of the industrial centre of India, near the two leading ports of Mumbai and Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNP). The region stretching between Mumbai, Pune and Nasik in the state of Maharashtra forms what is known as the “Golden Triangle” and is home to a large number of manufacturing companies, a flourishing IT sector, a slew of biotech companies and a strong carmaking sector.


“The explosive growth of industry in Pune has led to this city becoming the Detroit of India in a short space of time,” explains Raj Khalid, the port of Antwerp’s main representative in India. “In fact, Pune is expected to eventually swallow up the industrial sectors of other cities. Given this development, it is no longer possible to keep in proper close contact with local partners from Mumbai, and so we need to have our own office and our own representative in Pune.”
Gaurav Mane has now been appointed as the Port Authority’s representative in Pune. He has wide experience in logistics and has excellent connections with the local business community
Antwerp Port Authority has signed treaties of friendship with the port authorities of Mundra and Jawaharlal Nehru, to which it offers training through APEC-Antwerp/Flanders Port Training. Port of Antwerp International, the successor to Antwerp Port Consultancy, also provides specialist consulting for Indian business relations. With this new office, due to be followed by a third one in Nasik at the end of 2010, Antwerp Port Authority is continuing to invest in collaboration with its Indian partners.
Antwerp is a very important European gateway for Indian exports and imports. Last year some 4 million tonnes of freight were carried to and from India via Antwerp, with steel, containers and oil derivatives making up a large part of the volume. (source: www.portofantwerp.com)

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