Since Saturday, the Port of Barcelona has been leading the first business mission after the outbreak of the pandemic. Thailand has been the chosen destination with the aim of strengthening commercial relations with Southeast Asia, as well as due to the country's economic dynamism and its geostrategic position, which allows access to other markets in the region. On the opening day, held in Bangkok, the Director General of the Port Authority of Thailand, Kriengkrai Chaisiriwongsuk, expressed his conviction that they can offer "a very important connection point" between Catalonia and Southeast Asia.
"Thailand is the fourth country in the region in maritime connectivity, behind Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam, but with the expansion plan of Laem Chabang Port, we are growing at a higher percentage than these countries, which makes us more attractive to attract new maritime lines in the future," he explained. Specifically, Laem Chabang Port is immersed in a project to increase its capacity from 11 to 18 million TEU, as well as that of the railway, which will go from 2 to 6 million TEU, increasing the transfer of cargo from truck to train by 30%.
Precisely, this Thai port will be one of the stops of the business mission. Similar to Barcelona, Laem Chabang is a very diversified port, with container, ro-ro, general cargo, multipurpose, and cruise terminals. In 2021, it was among the world's major ports in container traffic, specifically in position 21 of the ranking, totaling 8.4 million TEU.
The Thai port authority is also working to reduce logistics costs, an essential aspect for an exporting country that wants to become the main hub in the region. In this regard, another project it is executing is a land bridge that will allow an intermodal connection between ports located on either side of Thailand, which will be linked by rail, with the aim of competing with the Strait of Malacca.
On the opening day, which was attended by more than 100 professionals from the port and logistics sector, Santiago García-Milà, deputy general director of the Port de Barcelona, conveyed to Thai businessmen the opportunities that the geostrategic location of the Catalan capital opens for their exports to the European Union. García-Milà also focused on its proximity to North African markets, a matter very well received by the local community.
Likewise, the deputy general director of the Port de Barcelona stated that they are working to provide "maximum speed" to the end customer, as well as to reduce their carbon footprint. In this regard, he pointed out that a container moving between Southeast Asia and southern France saves 40% of CO2 emissions if it travels through the Suez Canal and is unloaded at the Port de Barcelona compared to a container entering through a port in Northern Europe.
Rapid recovery of bilateral trade
The Spanish ambassador to the Asian country, Felipe de la Morena Casado, in charge of closing the inauguration, indicated that the Barcelona business mission is the first to arrive in Thailand after the pandemic, a sign of the shared interest in boosting the commercial relationship between both countries, which he stressed is recovering rapidly. "In 2021 we approached 2 billion euros and this year there is a considerable increase. With events like today's, we are on the right track," he defended. Javier Vidal, vice president of the board of directors of the Port de Barcelona, and Jordi Maluquer, representing the Govern and director of Catalonia Trade & Invest (Singapore), also participated in the inaugural day.
The business mission of the Port de Barcelona is the first to arrive in Thailand after the pandemicThailand is one of the ten most attractive emerging countries for foreign investment and one of the world's economies most dependent on exports, which account for 66% of its GDP. In this regard, the port has identified food, agro-industry, medical equipment, automotive, tourism and services, energy, and transport infrastructure as sectors with the most export capacity or that may need more imports.
Traffic between the Port of Barcelona and Thailand reached 256,000 tons last year, a figure that had increased by 9.3% compared to 2019, and 22,558 TEU, up 16%. Currently, the bulk of exchanges focuses on chemical products and machinery. Likewise, it is the first port in Spain in commercial exchanges with Thailand considering the value of goods. In 2021, commercial exchanges between the Asian country and the Catalan infrastructure totaled almost 500 million euros, achieving a market share of 42% in the country's port system.
First agreements
In addition to the inaugural session, the business mission has already resulted in the signing of various collaboration agreements between Catalan and Thai associations. On the one hand, Jordi Trius, president of the Association of Ship Consignees Agents of Barcelona, has signed agreements with the Bangkok Shipowners and Agents Association and the Thai Shipowners Association. On the other hand, Emili Sanz, president of the Association of Freight Forwarders of Barcelona (ATEIA-OLTRA), was responsible for signing an agreement with the Thai International Freight Forwarders Association (TIFFA).
Finally, the Port of Barcelona, the European School-Intermodal Transport, the Spanish Federation of Freight Forwarders (FETEIA) and TIFFA have signed a letter of intent that contemplates the promotion of joint activities in the field of training and the realization of a pilot course in international trade operations, focused on transactions between Thailand, Europe and Mediterranean countries.