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November 4, 2013 |
Partnerships: Baltimore, Cleveland
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Baltimore/Calais Sister Port Agreement
The Maryland Port Administration (MPA) and the French Port of Calais on October 31 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at increasing maritime business opportunities for both entities. The MOU was signed by MPA Director of Marketing Richard Powers and Port of Calais Vice President Antoine Ravisse.
The MPA owns and manages public marine terminals in the Port of Baltimore. Located on the English Channel, Calais is a major transit point for cargo and passengers. In 2011, it handled nearly 38.5 million metric tons of bulk and general cargo and about 10.1 million cruise and ferry passengers.
"We look forward to utilizing this agreement as a way to generate new cargo opportunities and to share best practices with the Port of Calais," said Mr. Powers. "Calais has a wonderful history that dates back centuries. Today it is one of the largest ports in France and handles some of the same commodities as the Port of Baltimore."
Per their agreement, the MPA and Calais may elect to undertake joint marketing efforts to generate new shipping business, share data that may be helpful in forecasting future trade flows, and exchange information on training programs.
"We look forward to developing mutually beneficial business opportunities as part of our newly signed agreement with the Maryland Port Administration," said Mr. Ravisse. "We believe there are some good opportunities for further cooperation with Port of Baltimore, especially with the cargo commodities we both have in common which include roll on/roll off equipment, autos, and cruises. Our goal is a good exchange of information that can benefit both parties."
The MPA has similar agreements with the ports of Adani (India), Nagoya (Japan), Gdynia (Poland), Genoa (Italy), Sokhna (Egypt), Tallinn (Estonia) and Cotonou (Africa).
Signing the Baltimore/Calais sister port agreement. From Left: Thomas Lyons, Director of the European Office for the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development; Richard Powers, Director of Marketing for the Maryland Port Administration; Antoine Ravisse, Port of Calais Vice President; and Jean-Yves Lhomme, Head of Project Department for the Port of Calais.
Photo/Maryland Port Administration
Photo/Maryland Port Administration
Cleveland Plans Express Ocean Freight Service to Europe
The Port of Cleveland on October 23 announced plans for a regularly scheduled express freight shipping service between Cleveland and Europe, starting in April 2014. The Cleveland-Europe Express Ocean Freight Service would be the only scheduled international container service on the Great Lakes.
"Currently, local manufacturers use East Coast ports to ship goods to Europe, incurring additional rail and truck costs along the way," said Will Friedman, president & CEO of the Port of Cleveland. "The Cleveland Europe-Express will allow local companies to ship out of their own backyards, simplifying logistics and reducing shipping costs."
According to the port, it would carry anywhere from 250,000 to 400,000 tons of cargo per year, or approximately 10-15 percent of Ohio’s trade with Europe.
"This service will be a game-changer for manufacturers in the region, keeping shipping dollars local, while opening our shores to the global market in a new way," predicts Mr. Friedman.
The port authority is in final negotiations with a Dutch shipping company, Spliethoff Group, to operate the service via the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The port says it will not have incur any capital costs to start the service and that the port revenues it generates would be reinvested in job producing infrastructure, cleaning up ship channels, and opening waterfronts to public access.
The Amsterdam-headquartered Spliethoff Group owns and operates a fleet of about 100 multi-purpose, heavy-lift, and Ro-Ro vessels ranging in capacity from 12,000 to 23,000 deadweight metric tons. It transports a variety of cargo, such as heavy lift, general merchandise, forest products, project-based machinery, and yachts.
"Spliethoff Group regularly looks for new business opportunities in which to utilize our vessel capacity, and we are excited about the prospect of partnering with the Port of Cleveland on this venture," said Bart Peters, manager of the group’s America Service. "We believe that providing scheduled, reliable capacity to the America’s industrial heartland via the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway routing will enable shippers to connect more efficiently to the European continent."
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