MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil's Waterway Transport agency and Antwerp port sign accord on technical expertise and staff training

Brazil’s National Agency for Waterway Transport (ANTAQ) and the Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Center (APEC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on technical expertise and training.

APEC, the non-profit international training center affiliated with the Port Authority of Antwerp, has organized port courses since 1977, facilitating knowledge and experience sharing among port communities. Over 19,000 industry professionals worldwide have had the opportunity to participate in courses offered by the institution. The training focuses on priority practices in the global context, such as environmental sustainability, the port-city relationship, and governance.

Negotiations for the MoU with APEC began last year after an official visit by ANTAQ to the Port of Antwerp. The agreement is the result of a series of discussions aimed at developing training programs and international benchmarking capacity to enhance the agency’s performance.

Eduardo Nery, the general director of ANTAQ, emphasized that signing the document is yet another action the organization has taken to encourage its staff to pursue the best international practices. He stated, “The organization is planning to conduct training for our employees in the second half of this year.”

The MoU will enable the customization of courses tailored to the Brazilian reality and the agency’s specific needs. The signing ceremony was attended by Dirk De Fauw, the mayor of Bruges and the current chairman of the institute’s board, along with other board members, including the Chief Operating Officer of the Port of Antwerp.

The agreement with the Belgian port authority is part of ANTAQ’s joint agenda with the Association of Private Port Terminals (ATP) for a visiting mission to major port authorities in Belgium. The objective is to gain firsthand experience in port operations and management in locations recognized as leaders in the logistics and port sectors.

In addition to the general director of ANTAQ, the mission was attended by Márcio França, the Minister of Ports and Airports, as well as the directors of the Lima Filho Agency, Alber Vasconcelos and Caio Farias.

During the mission, the group had the opportunity to meet with world-leading entities specializing in dredging, land reclamation, maritime infrastructure, offshore energy, and environmental remediation for fractional cargo. They also visited petrochemical clusters and the Kieldrecht lock, the largest in the world, which is connected to the Deurganck dock.