The port of Antwerp has decided to appoint a full-time representative in the UK, based in London, in order to keep in closer touch with the economic situation there now that Brexit is looming closer.
"Antwerp Port Authority is now in search of a full-time representative to further raise Antwerp’s profile on the British market," said a press statement from the company.
Concerning the job description, Luc Arnouts, the Port Authority’s International Networks manager explained: “We expect this person to develop a relevant local business network, to fly the flag for the port of Antwerp and to act as intermediary between British demand and the solutions that Antwerp has to offer.”
Attracting additional sources of trade and cargo will also form part of the new port representative’s job.
With an annual freight volume of nearly 14 million tonnes (2017), commercial relations between the port and the UK are very significant. “The UK is actually our third-largest trading partner,” explained Luc Arnouts. “On the other hand the volume shrank by nearly 8% last year, probably due to the uncertainty surrounding Brexit.”
Brexit will actually become a reality just over one year from now, although negotiations concerning the exact terms of trade are still in progress. “We plead for a clear, well-defined Brexit, both during the current transition period and in the post-Brexit age, in order to prevent a disintegration of the internal market,” declared Port Authority CEO Jacques Vandermeiren on the occasion of the visit to the port of Antwerp by Robin Walker, British Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the EU.
Under-Secretary of State Robin Walker: “Our trading and political ties with Belgium are deep and longstanding, and we know they will continue and strengthen as we leave the EU. As we look forward to our future relationship, an Implementation Period will be essential to provide certainty to people and businesses in the UK and in Belgium.”
Antwerp Port Authority is keen to maintain and indeed further strengthen the port’s position in the UK in the near future. Antwerp is ideally located for the UK, firstly as an investment location close to the European centres of decision-making and secondly as a gateway to Europe from where the continent can be served quickly and efficiently. “The same also applies to Zeebrugge. We therefore seek to further expand our network of shortsea container services with the UK and Ireland,” declared Arnouts.