"Port of Barcelona strategic ally for trade with Europe"
Key objective: promoting strategic alliances to enhance efficiency of supply chains from origin to destination.
Lluís Salvadó, President, Port of Barcelona, during the opening session of the Business Mission in Mumbai
India is already a strategic market for the Port of Barcelona but it is a strategic market for Europe from now until 2030, according to Lluís Salvadó, President, Port of Barcelona.
"We want to be a strategic ally of India and its companies so that they can count on us as a safe, agile and efficient gateway to Europe," Salvadó said at the opening conference of the Business Mission that the Port of Barcelona is conducting in Mumbai this week. Salvadó emphasised two key objectives: "Strengthening business and institutional relationships between companies, entities, associations and organisations from both countries, and promoting strategic alliances to enhance the efficiency of supply chains from origin to destination."
Carla Salvadó, Deputy General Manager, Commercial and Marketing, Port of Barcelona, highlighted Barcelona's four strengths as a strategic logistics hub for accessing the European market: geographical location, concentration of logistics infrastructure in one territory, high connectivity with reduced distribution costs and lower carbon footprint, and the presence of industrial clusters such as fashion, chemicals, electronics, and automotive.
In 2022, maritime trade between Spain and India reached 2.3 million tonnes and 130,000 TEUs with a value of €2.3 billion. These figures represent a significant contribution to bilateral trade between Spain and India, which amounted to €4.7 billion last year, according to Fernando Heredia, Consul General in Mumbai. "The Port of Barcelona is India's gateway to the world and can act not only as a gateway to Europe but also to North Africa and the Americas," Heredia added.
