The Sri Lanka Embassy in Belgium, together with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges International (PoABI) in Belgium, organized a two-day fact-finding visit for an official delegation from the Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) in June.
According to the Sri Lankan Embassy, the fact-finding visit, conducted on 23 and 24 June, aimed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the port sector between Sri Lanka and Belgium.
The visit was a part of the ongoing dialogue between the SLPA and the PoABI initiated by the Sri Lanka Embassy in Brussels in mid-2024, to connect the Colombo Port and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium, the second largest port in Europe. T K. G. L. Hemchandra, the Deputy Harbour Master (Trincomalee), Sriyantha Arampath & H. B. A. Subhashini joined the visit.
During the visit, the SLPA officials held discussions with senior staff of PoABI and Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Center (APEC). Vice President of International Relations & Networks at Antwerp-Bruges Port Authority, Luc Arnouts, also joined the discussion. Both sides initiated talks on a prospective Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at fostering collaborations in key areas such as information & knowledge exchange, reciprocal visits, sharing of best practices, logistic cooperation, exchange of technical expertise & investment cooperation and support initiatives in port digitalization and innovation.
As part of the programme, the delegation visited the DP World Antwerp Gateway terminal on the left bank of the Scheldt River, where they were able to learn about automation in terminal operations. The team also visited the CMB TECH Hydrogen Refuelling Station in Antwerp.
The insightful and engaging two-day programme provided the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) delegation with a comprehensive understanding of the operational landscape of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. Through meaningful exchanges of ideas and perspectives, both parties laid a strong foundation for future collaboration between the two ports.
The Associate Manager-Regional Lead Indian Subcontinent at PoABI, Achille Sobry, APEC Training Executive-Key Account Indian Subcontinent at APEC, Ken Houtevelts, Minister Commercial of the Embassy, Thavishya Mullegamgoda, and Honorary Consul for Sri Lanka in Antwerp, Monique De Decker-Deprez, joined the meetings and site visits. (Newswire)
