The Port of Brussels and the Port of Quebec signed a partnership agreement

MONTREAL, March 16, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ -The Port of Brussels and the Port of Quebec signed a partnership agreement this Friday, 16 March in Montreal (Quebec, Canada), which will allow them to jointly apprehend issues that are common to both ports.

This partnership was signed by Mr Mohammed Jabour, Chairman of the Port of Brussels, Mr Olivier Auvray, Vice-Chairman of the Port of Brussels and Mr Mario Girad, CEO of the Port of Quebec, on the occasion of the visit of State of TM the King and Queen of the Belgians in Canada, in the presence of the Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region, Rudi Vervoort.

The desire to conclude this partnership stems from the desire to develop synergies between two Ports that share common characteristics and challenges. They are both maritime and river ports respectively managing assets owned by public authorities and have French as a common working language. Strategically positioned geographically to enable them to efficiently serve their hinterland, they are both located relatively far inland. They are also located in urban areas and are therefore convinced of the need to integrate better in this landscape, with a view to fruitful and sustainable cohabitation with the various surrounding stakeholders. Finally, even if the scales are very different, the two ports have in common some similar development projects, such as the construction of a terminal for cruise ships.

More specifically, this partnership revolves around several elements:

• The agreement will also allow exchanges based on sustainable development and environmental efforts and initiatives. To this end, they exchange on their respective strategies and measures put in place to foster the development of maritime and river projects as means for reducing carbon emissions.
• Parallel adaptation of the masterplans of both organizations, with a view to developing their respective activities. To this end, they will exchange their points of view, experiences and ideas.
• A sharing of good practices for a better urban integration of the two ports, among others in connection with good governance.
• Both port entities are signatories of the Missions Charter of a Port Center by AIVP. The Port Centers offer the public, initiated or not, the opportunity to discover, experiment and better understand the port and maritime contemporary activity through various events including: exhibitions in a dedicated place, educational events and tours of adapted sites, as well as sites of privileged exchanges with various stakeholders of the marine environment. In each of the ports, it is envisaged to eventually create a Port Center. The two port organizations will pool their respective experiences in the creation of these Port Centers.

The Port of Brussels, a Brussels regional company, manages 14 kilometers of waterways and 5.6 kilometers of useful quays in the Brussels-Capital region. The Brussels port area represents 105 hectares of useful area, where nearly two hundred businesses are located. In 2017, 6.9 million tonnes were transported by waterways, the equivalent of nearly 650,000 lorries.

The Quebec Port Authority is an autonomous federal agency established under the Canada Marine Act. In 2017, the Port of Quebec recorded a total of 27.5 million tonnes of goods handled. At the heart of several international logistics chains, the Port of Quebec operates a maritime cluster that generates more than 8,000 direct and indirect jobs in the Quebec City area according to the latest KPMG / SECOR study.

SOURCE Administration portuaire de Québec