North Sea Port will collaborate with the Canadian Ports of Montréal, Québec, Saguenay, Sept-Îles, and Trois-Rivières to boost trade along the Saguenay-Saint Laurent sea corridor.
The agreement builds on a previous cooperation agreement from 2018 between the Port of Quebec and North Sea Port.
This new step adds the ports of Montréal, Saguenay, Sept-Îles et Trois-Rivières to the existing cooperation. The agreement provides a framework for concrete initiatives in trade, innovation and energy transition.
The focus is on further developing the bulk sector and optimising logistics chains between Saguenay-Saint Laurent’s Canadian hinterland, the port area of North Sea Port and north-western Europe. In addition, the ports share knowledge and insights to improve port planning and port operations.
There is also cooperation in the field of technology and circular economy. The ports will promote cooperation between customers, research institutes, universities and start-ups.
The ports will work together to reduce their carbon footprint, focusing on low-carbon energy production, greening port areas, alternative fuels, and energy efficiency initiatives.
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“Canada is North Sea Port’s fourth most important trading partner in terms of cargo throughput,” said Maarten den Dekker, Chief Sustainability en Digital Officer of North Sea Port.
“Our location in Western Europe is of great strategic importance for cooperation with the ports of Montréal, Québec, Saguenay, Sept-Îles en Trois-Rivières. Cooperation with these five Canadian ports can only be beneficial.”
“We are proud to set up this cooperation framework with North Sea Port, connecting the Saguenay-Saint-Laurent corridor with a dynamic region such as the North Sea,” jointly emphasized Julie Gascon, Mario Girard, Carl Laberge, Pierre D. Gagnon en Gaétan Boivin, respectively, the Director-General of the port companies of Montréal, Québec, Saguenay, Sept-Îles et Trois-Rivières.
“The aim is to develop a strong collaboration and achieve results together, such as in the areas of decarbonisation, knowledge and innovation.”
In October of last year, the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) partnered with SOFIAC, an investment fund specialising in decarbonisation, for a comprehensive energy efficiency project.
