Antwerp seeks UK representative in light of Brexit

In a press release, the port said that it had chosen to hire the official, who will be based in London, “to keep in closer touch with the economic situation [in the UK] now that Brexit is looming closer”.

Duties that will be undertaken by the UK representative include further boosting Antwerp’s profile on the British market and bringing in more trade and cargo sources.

Speaking about the role, Luc Arnouts, Antwerp Port Authority’s international networks manager, said: “We expect this person to develop a relevant local business network, to fly the flag for the port of Antwerp and to act as intermediary between British demand and the solutions that Antwerp has to offer.”

The release about the new UK representative role came on the day that the UK’s Undersecretary of State for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Robin Walker, visited the port.

During the visit, Antwerp Port Authority chief executive Jacques Vandermeiren called “for a clear, well-defined Brexit”, both during and after the transition-process, to prevent an internal market “disintegration”, plus “as few tariff barriers and administrative obstacles as possible” once Brexit became reality.

Mr Walker said that the UK government was “confident that we will be able to secure a future partnership that allows people from the UK and Belgium to continue enjoying open access to one another’s markets”.

Strengthening ties

Together, the Port of Antwerp and the UK had an annual freight volume of nearly 14m tonnes in 2017, and according to Mr Arnouts, the UK is the port’s third-biggest trading partner — though the international networks manager also said that volume decreased by nearly 8% last year, likely due to the uncertainty surrounding Britain’s EU-exit.

Antwerp Port Authority said that it is keen to maintain and further-strengthen the port’s position in the UK in the near future, as well as noting that Antwerp is ideally-positioned for the UK as both an investment location near the European decision-making-centres and a gateway to Europe from where Europe can be served efficiently and rapidly.

“The same also applies to Zeebrugge. We therefore seek to further expand our network of shortsea container services with the UK and Ireland,” Mr Arnouts added.

Antwerp Port Authority will hold a Port Day in Birmingham on June 20, while a stakeholder meeting is scheduled to be held in London the next day.

The port said that both events give shippers a chance to learn more about the range of services the port offers and to become acquainted with Antwerp logistics-service-providers.

Candidates have until the end of March to apply for the UK representative position.

For further information on the vacancy, as well as application details, visit http://www.portofantwerp.com/nl/jobs/poa-job/597.