By IANS,
London : A British ports company is targeting the Indian shipping market as part of its sea trade expansion plans.
PD Ports has recently appointed an agent – Faredeal Shipping Agencies Pvt Ltd – to be based in Mumbai and act on its behalf to raise the company’s profile among Indian shipping companies.
PD Ports owns and operates the Ports of Tees and Hartlepool (Teesport), a major deep sea complex located on the northeast coast of Britain, at the heart of the industrial Tees Valley. For the year ended March 2005, Teesport was Britain’s second largest port by tonnage.
The company’s group commercial director, Graham Wall, has returned from India after an exploratory visit.
“India is one of the global leaders in the shipping industry and is a key player in the world economy. Approximately, 95 percent of the country’s trade by volume, that’s 70 percent in terms of value, is moved by sea. It is that traffic from India that is destined for the retailers and consumers of the northern UK that we want to attract at Teesport.”
According to the Evening Gazette online newspaper, Wall has said his company is looking for Indian clients for its upcoming project, the Northern Gateway Container Terminal at Teesport. The terminal, approved by the British government, is expected to be operational by 2011 and would allow deep sea vessels to call directly at Teesport.
Pd Ports wants Indian shippers to utilise it for British imports coming from the Indian shipping market.