The objective is to strengthen commercial and technical cooperation between the complexes, which both have the Port of Rotterdam as a shareholder. With the objective of expanding the exchange of experiences, best practices and prospecting new international business, Pecém Complex (CIPP/SA) signed this week, a Cooperation Agreement with SOHAR Port and Freezone, located in Oman, in the Middle East. The agreement provides for commercial and technical cooperation between the industrial complexes and port terminals. Port of Rotterdam is for both ports one of their shareholders.
Positioned between Muscat and Dubai, on one of the most important sea routes in the world, facing the Arabian Sea, SOHAR is one of the fastest growing ports in the world, having accumulated investments of US$ 27 billion. “International partnerships, such as this one with Pecém, allow us to consolidate knowledge that helps us to strengthen and expand our global port network, promoting economic competitiveness,” said Mark Geilenkirchen, CEO of SOHAR Port and Freezone, who signed the cooperation document with the Vice President of Operations from Complex of Pecém, Cornelis Hulst, through an online ceremony.
On the occasion, Mark reinforced that SOHAR is very interested in learning about the logistics used by the Port of Pecém to export food, especially fruit, which departs from the Brazilian terminal to various countries around the world. He also recalled that Sohar already has a strong bond with Brazil, as it is home to one of the largest iron ore terminals in the world, built for the operations of Vale, the Brazilian mining company.
“Brazil is a major player in food exports, which makes Complex of Pecém a very welcome addition to our thriving food cluster. At the same time, by showing the incredible success that Vale has achieved in Oman over the last 10 years, this will allow us to demonstrate to Brazilian companies the vast opportunities that SOHAR has to offer”, concludes Mark.
EXPANSION OF CONNECTIVITY
For the CEO of Complex of Pecém, Danilo Serpa, the shareholders agreement with Port of Rotterdam, started in 2018, opened many opportunities for Ceará, including the new partnership with SOHAR. For him, with this agreement, the expectation is that Port of Pecém, which is located in a strategic position between the United States and Europe, will also create important connectivity between Europe and Asia, thus taking advantage of the full potential of the Middle East.
“We are a pioneer industrial and port complex in Brazil, as we have the only free trade zone (ZPE Ceará) in operation in the country, including exporting steel slabs to more than twenty countries. SOHAR is strategically located on a global trade route that connects Europe and Asia and can provide us with unparalleled connectivity, helping us to harness the enormous potential of the Middle East region. We hope to connect Brazil and Oman with both ports and thus add value to our shared customer’s base, as well as attract more investments to Complex of Pecém”, says Danilo Serpa.
During the signing of the Cooperation Agreement, the ceremony was also attended by Mr. Maia Júnior, Secretary of Economic Development and Labor of Ceará; Mr. Al Khattab Al Maani, representative of Asyad- a share holder of logistic government companies and Mr. René Van Der Plas, Director of the Port of Rotterdam International, who is a shareholder in the Complex of Pecém and SOHAR Port and Freezone.
“We are very happy with the signing of this Mutual Cooperation Agreement, as we believe that it will bring benefits to everyone involved. We are very proud of the growth registered by SOHAR in recent years and we want to replicate this success at Pecém, which already has a very privileged logistics chain. I believe that this agreement will bring about an extensive exchange of experiences in the food sector and, also, in the expansion of opportunities related to the production of hydrogen, which is a priority for the coming years”, points out René Van Der Plas.
MAIN GOALS
Overall, the agreement between Pecém and SOHAR will allow industrial and port complexes to collaboratively advance their global maritime and logistics operations, fulfilling a number of shared objectives, including exploring joint business opportunities, knowledge exchange and development technologies for Green Hydrogen (H2V) and other renewable energies.
