The Ports of Marseille Fos and Montreal have signed a five-year cooperation agreement for the first time in order to partner on trade and innovation.
The new agreement will chart the way forward for a new business partnership and the creation of synergies in several areas, including trade and innovation.
“Innovation, performance and environmental excellence are the values embodied by the Port of Marseille Fos,” said Hervé Martel, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Port of Marseille Fos.
“On the basis of these three pillars shared with the Port of Montreal, we intend—with the official signing of this partnership agreement—to strengthen the many existing exchanges between our two port authorities. Consolidating our commercial ties, of course, but also sharing our skills and sharing our best practices for better performance.
“There is no doubt that the Port of Marseille Fos’ multimodal connection offer between Asia, Africa and Europe is an excellent opportunity for North American players to develop their business and investments in the Euro-Mediterranean zone,” said Martel.
Right: Hervé Martel, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Port of Marseille Fos
The development and realization of this partnership agreement was guided by the major cooperative exchanges developed over the last several years between both ports and by the interests, values and visions shared by the two port authorities.
Their many commonalities include growth of the container sector and related infrastructure projects. This partnership agreement will also strengthen the current trade between the Ports of Marseille Fos and Montreal, as well as the ties forged between the services and partners of both ports.
“With trade between the Port of Montreal and Europe in constant growth, including trade with the Port of Marseille Fos, this major agreement is a golden opportunity to strengthen our business ties and build on our common strengths, such as our vision of innovation, our geostrategic locations and our growth in the container sector,” said Sylvie Vachon, President and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority.
The collaborative endeavour between both ports starts now. The MOU between the two parties focuses on six areas of cooperation:
- Trade between the two organizations
- Innovation and the pooling of know-how in this area
- Public affairs by sharing best practices in communication and community relations
- Information technologies by sharing best practices in data exchange and concrete efforts on common issues
- Sustainable development and energy transition to ensure sustainable management of port spaces and better project acceptability
- Strategic growth partnerships
