Within the framework of a working visit to European countries of the UK, the Netherlands and Germany, the high-level Da Nang delegation, led by municipal Party Committee Permanent Deputy Secretary cum People’s Council Chairman Luong Nguyen Minh Triet, had working sessions in the Netherlands on September 9 and 10.

Sharing experiences in many spheres

Standing Deputy Secretary of the Da Nang Party Committee Luong Nguyen Minh Triet presenting souvenirs to representatives from the Rotterdam Port Authority and the Boskalis International B.V. Photo: PV

During his meeting with the Rotterdam Port Authority, the Netherlands, on September 9, Permanent Deputy Secretary Triet remarked, along with tourism and hi-tech industry, the marine economy is one of the pillars of Da Nang's economic development. Therefore, the city will prioritise resources to focus on developing seaports and airports associated with logistics services. Also, protecting the ecosystem and environment, and ensuring people's livelihoods and social public infrastructure related to seaport activities will be the city’s interest.

For their part, the Rotterdam Port Authority exchanged experiences in planning, land and port operations management, human resources, and port logistics services, as well as shared challenges and some strategies for sustainable development of the port in the coming time.

At the meeting, a representative from the Boskalis International B.V. briefed Da Nang guests on the company’s outstanding achievements and showed its keen interest in projects in Da Nang.

As a member of the Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V, the Boskalis International B.V is a global leader in the construction and maintenance of marine infrastructure such as dredging, leveling, salvage and rescuing heavy ships.

According to the Boskalis International B.V., Viet Nam is one of the company's key markets. Since 2004, Boskalis has cooperated with Viet Nam's oil and gas industry. In 2012, this company opened a representative office in Viet Nam. At the same time, Boskalis entered into memoranda of understanding on cooperation with leading Vietnamese corporations such as T&T and Hateco. Currently, Bokaslis is participating in a project on building and operating the Cai Mep Ha Logistics Centre in the southern coastal Vietnamese province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Through discussions and a field trip to the Port of Rotterdam, Permanent Deputy Secretary Triet expressed his impression on the scale and development of the Port of Rotterdam. He also highly appreciated the Port Authority for sharing valuable experience in logistics development, human resources and environmental protection and issues related to the marine economy.

He also took the opportunity to encourage the Boskalis International B.V. and Dutch investors to learn and propose key projects in the city in the near future.

He also suggested the Rotterdam Port Authority and the Boskalis International B.V Company actively introduce more investors and partners to Da Nang for the development of the above-mentioned fields.

“We hope that the Boskalis International B.V. will take the initiative to coordinate with interested domestic companies to study more about the dredging of the waters of soon-to-be-developed Lien Chieu Port and Tien Sa Port as well in the time to come” noted Mr. Triet.

It is known that the Port of Rotterdam is considered the largest deep-sea port in Europe, and the sixth largest port in the world according to the amount of goods transported annually through the port.

In 2021, the total volume of cargo through the Port of Rotterdam reached 486.7 million tonnes, including about 154 million tonnes of container cargo and over 283 million tonnes of bulk cargo handled at the port. The direct and indirect value added of the Port of Rotterdam accounts for about 8% of the Dutch GDP.

The Da Nang elegation, led by the Permanent Deputy Secretary of the municipal Party Committee, taking a field trip to the Port of Rotterdam. Photo: PV

Supporting Da Nang to promote its image in the Netherlands

On September 10, the Da Nang delegation paid a courtesy visit to the Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands Pham Viet Anh said that Da Nang plays a major role in the central key economic zone, creating a driving force to promote the development of the Central Viet Nam and Central Highlands regions.

Notably, the city boast great advantages in terms of geographical position, population size, administrative background, and modern infrastructure that are suitable for some Dutch models such as marine economy, green transformation,  and development of people's infrastructure.

For his part, Standing Deputy Secretary Triet informed about the city’s socio-economic development achievements and its development orientations.

He also thanked the Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands for their active support for the city to implement cooperation programmes in the Netherlands, especially supporting the city to organise international seminars and connect the city with partners in hi-tech agriculture, logistics, and seaports during the 2020- 2022 period.

Mr. Triet suggested that the Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands continue to support Da Nang in promoting the environment and investment opportunities to Dutch investors, organising business networking events, and connecting capable partners in the city's priority areas such as: tourism, urban management, environment, logistics and supply chain, clean agriculture and high technology application, and sustainable development.

A focus should be on introducing Da Nang to establish and develop a relationship with a Dutch locality in the near future.

Reporting by P.V - Translating by M.DUNG