WALVIS BAY – The Namibia Ports Authority (Namport) and Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium have solidified their key areas of collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2022.
In what Namport CEO Andrew Kanime termed as heads of agreement, the two set out the terms and conditions of their partnership at Walvis Bay on Thursday.
The MoU has set out port development, capacity-building and energy transition as the specific focus areas for the operationalisation of cooperation.
The agreement, Kanime said, places Namibia in a global front-runner position as partners to develop green energy, focusing on green hydrogen and its various carriers such as green ammonia, for the mutual benefit of both Namibia and Belgium.
“Namport has set itself the long-term strategic goal of migrating from the current hybrid port authority operator model to a pure landlord model, and the partnership with the port of Antwerp-Bruges International presents a great opportunity to learn from the same path that our counterparts have already walked,” he added.
Through this partnership, the two have set aside a large portion of land at the port of Walvis Bay’s north port for the establishment of energy and industrial clusters by the private sector on a long-term lease basis. The port of Antwerp-Bruges is one of the biggest in the world, handling over 270 million tonnes of goods from Europe to the rest of the world, and vice versa.
The port’s CEO, Jacques Vendermeiren, highlighted that climate action is urgently needed, and collaboration is key to addressing this challenge.
He underscored the importance of energy transition and the work being done by the port of Antwerp-Bruges to support this effort, while acknowledging the support of key stakeholders, including the Belgian government and private companies, in their efforts to make a positive impact.
“I am a firm believer of doing, and port authorities and private companies are doers. When we have problems, we come together and find solutions and, in this case, through this agreement,” he stated.
The two ports also signed an MoU with Belgium-based CMB Tech, a hydrogen solutions company, for the development and deployment of the first-ever green powered ship in Africa. -Nampa