Seminar on the development of inland waterway transport in Brazil
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Ladies and gentlemen,
Brazil and the Netherlands share a special history. You can see the evidence in Olinda, Recife and many other places in your beautiful country.
Brazil and the Netherlands have maintained the contacts first established during Johan Maurits of Nassau’s seven-year rule. For centuries, it was shipping that connected us. Before the Suez Canal opened, Pernambuco, Bahia, Recife and Rio de Janeiro were popular ports of call on the way to the East Indies. The shipping industry made the coffee trade between Brazil and Europe possible, and that intensified contacts with the Netherlands.]
Today we enjoy good relations and have become partners in many fields. I am proud to see Brazil and the Netherlands meeting in this way and proud that we are taking significant, substantive action. And I am delighted that the dialogue has been so open.
We have come to the end of two intense and interesting days. You have heard a lot about inland waterway transport, in general and in Brazil and the Netherlands. The discussion has covered differences and similarities, as well as opportunities.
The workshop chairpersons have just reported on the outcomes. It is a good idea to formalise the results so that in the future we can refer back to the ‘Brasilia Conclusions’. This will help Brazilian inland shipping to develop optimally.
I am pleased that you are preparing a strategic plan for inland waterway transport. In doing so, you are placing this mode of transport on a par with road and railway transport, a position it deserves. And you are incorporating the principles of corridor management into the plan. That is the key feature of Dutch policy on inland waterway transport.
In the Netherlands, we are proud of the way we deal with water, and the way we use our waterways. The ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam make our country the gateway to Europe, for your country too. Fifty-six per cent of goods entering our ports are transported by inland waterway. In your country that figure is not even one per cent of all transport. Even though many of your waterways are highly suited to goods transport.
So, there is enormous potential here. No less than forty thousand kilometres are waiting to be used, that is almost once around the earth. At present, you are using only a quarter of that capacity, about the distance from Brazil to the Netherlands. I would say, go for first prize, go around the world!
I am somewhat envious of all the possibilities you have: the Madeira, the Tapajos, the Lagoa dos Patos. Even the Tocantins, which was turned into a fully usable waterway in the nineties and presents opportunities for Brasilia. The way I see it, Brazil is sitting on a goldmine, but do you know what you want to do with all that gold?
The fact that you are here, that I am here and that a Dutch trade delegation is here too means that you are making that decision. That you consider your inland waterways an attractive option for transport: an option that is efficient, cheap, safe, clean and reliable.
A few things need to happen before Brazil’s inland shipping sector has reached maturity. You are already working hard building locks and carrying out other infrastructure projects. I would like to ask you to think about the part of the story that goes beyond infrastructure and ships. The part of the story that concerns connections with the hinterland, safe, rapid transport and efficient logistics.
This story is very important in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe. So important, that the European Commission recently presented NAIADES, plans for the continuing development of European inland shipping. Our waterways and geographical location have enabled us to develop a logistics system over the centuries that has brought tremendous economic growth to Western Europe.
Your waterways and the size of your country give you the same potential. You have the space to locate companies. You can optimise your transport opportunities by building good connections with the hinterland and good inland ports. You are a trading nation with a growing internal market. This means that you have everything to gain from a strong inland waterway transport system.
The Netherlands is ready and willing to help. When I say that, I am speaking first and foremost for the Dutch government. Last year the Netherlands and Brazil expressed their intention to cooperate on maritime and air transport. We will start with port and inland waterway development in Rio Grande do Sul. There are many opportunities in other parts of your beautiful country, too, and they will be worked out soon.
The Dutch business community is ready to help. Past experience shows that we can work together on maritime projects. Boskalis did the dredging for the steel plant in Sepetiba, VanOort worked on the port of Itajaí. In the Netherlands, the port of Rotterdam plays a major role in the transhipment of Brazilian ethanol.
But let’s look to the future. We can help you transform your inland shipping sector. We may be famous for dredging, but the Dutch maritime sectors have so much more to offer.
In the area of port development, for example. Brazil’s ports are geared towards ocean shipping. Making them suitable for inland waterway vessels and building transhipment terminals would yield many benefits. Seaports and inland shipping strengthen each other, and since ninety per cent of Brazil’s foreign trade goes through its ports, a shift in emphasis at its seaports would create tremendous opportunities for trade with the hinterland.
We also have considerable expertise in shipbuilding, and we have the technology to match. In the Netherlands we have succeeded in converting to cleaner, more efficient ships. I know that you have a particular interest in sustainable forms of transport. Dutch companies are eager to tell you more.
And finally, the Netherlands has quite a bit of waterway management know-how. What is the best way to ensure that ships pass through the system safely and efficiently? How do you keep track of hazardous substances? What do you do in the event of a disaster? These questions deserve attention, because we all want your country’s natural bounty to be protected.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Taking our lead from the ‘Brasilia Conclusions’, we can take up the challenge together, with energy and commitment. If we do that, inland waterway transport in Brazil could undergo the same development as your capital, Brasilia:
- It took a while to create consensus
- but once everyone was on board, a solid framework was in place within five years
- and the resulting growth exceeded all expectations.
I wish you every success in this endeavour.]
Thank you.