The Port of Montreal ships and receives goods to and from all continents. It welcomes vessels from Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Oceania and Latin America.
The Port now meets more and more often with shipping lines around the world thanks mainly to the presence of its representatives in Hong Kong, Europe and the United States.
“This representation extends the reach of the Port of Montreal across the board internationally,” said Sylvie Vachon, President and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority (MPA).
The Port hosts annual commercial receptions for its partners and clients in many of its major North American markets. This year it already has held receptions in Detroit in March and Montreal in April. Receptions are scheduled for Toronto in May and Chicago in October. The Detroit reception, which caters in great part to the automobile industry, was introduced last year.
“The automobile industry manufactures and delivers automobile parts based on a just-in-time schedule and appreciates the reliable service and the fast container-handling turnarounds that the Port and its terminal operators provide,” said Tony Boemi, the MPA’s Vice-President of Growth and Development. “This has allowed us to improve business ties with this industry.”
Now more than ever, the Port is participating in trade missions and conferences around the world with high-ranking government officials.
In January 2015, the Port was invited to be part of a trade mission to Europe led by Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard. The mission included a visit of the Port of Antwerp, the Port of Montreal’s main trading partner in Europe. Mr. Couillard also led a trade mission to Chicago last October to promote the Quebec Maritime Strategy and spoke at the Port’s commercial reception held in that city.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre joined Ms. Vachon and Mr. Boemi at Seatrade Miami, the world’s largest cruise show, in March 2015.
Last November, Mr. Coderre invited Mr. Boemi to join a trade mission to China, and most notably Hong Kong.
Jean D’Amour, Quebec’s Minister for Transport and the Implementation of the Maritime Strategy, led a mission, in which the Port participated, in September to the Netherlands and Belgium to promote the Quebec Maritime Strategy.
The Port hosted the annual Association of Canadian Port Authorities (ACPA) Annual Conference in September that attracted a line-up of renowned speakers and delegates from across Canada and around the world.
Meanwhile, the Port of Montreal enjoys a special partnership with the Port of Antwerp. The two ports renewed their collaboration agreement in April for another three years. The Port of Antwerp is the Port of Montreal’s main trading partner in Europe. More than one out of every five containers that the Port of Montreal handles comes from or goes to the Port of Antwerp. This represents an annual bilateral container volume of close to 300,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent unit containers).