The Port of Antwerp is now set to provide training for port professionals in India starting from this month, with courses being held in a specially equipped for the purpose training centre. At the moment temporary facilities will be used to carry out the above-mentioned courses, till the new centre is completed, the company commented via a press release.
The Memorandum of Understanding that outlines the conditions and requirements regarding this collaboration was signed on Thursday February 12th during a ceremony in Mumbai, India in the presence of Marc Van Peel, Antwerp port alderman, and Eddy Bruyninckx, CEO of Antwerp Port Authority. Both of the Antwerp representatives presented a shorty introductory lecture concerning the port of Antwerp, as an interlude to the teaching syllabus.
"Zicht op het Delwaidedok" by Arminius/ via Wikimedia Commons
The lectures are being organised and managed by APEC, an international port training and education centre. APEC has been functional for 37 years and counting, it has managed to train over 14,000 port professionals coming from 150 countries. The courses point one’s attention towards subjects like port management, infrastructure development & maintenance, along with safety and ISPS-related matters. The course material that has been offered to the Indian port sector is now currently going through a thorough analysis in order for the courses to be in full accordance to the requirements. The Jawaharal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India’s biggest container port, will initially serve the role of main client regarding the APEC training programme. The Indian port has set a target for itself of handling 10 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units, meaning standard containers) by as early as 2016. In comparison, the port of Antwerp managed to handle just under 9 million TEU in 2014.
The first of the lectures will take place in between the 23th and the 30th of February. The lectures are going to be initially given in temporary facilities till the permanent training facilities are completed. The training centre is to be be located in JNPT port, but professionals from other Indian ports, however, are all welcome to undergo courses there. Additionally as part of the collaboration courses are to also be organised in Antwerp.