Lobito - Employees of the Commercial Port of Lobito, located in the province of centre-west Benguela Province, on Saturday were trained in infrastructure management methods, as it is now in the Landlord Port, by technicians from its Portuguese counterpart in Sines, ANGOP has learned.
The training session is part of the protocol of cooperation and exchange of experiences between the two ports, evolving towards the modernization and efficiency of the Angolan infrastructure.
Speaking to the press, the head of the Port of Sines for the concession management area, Fernanda Albino, reported that she spoke about her management model and, in particular, about public service concession contracts.
Referring to the relationship between the grantor and the concessionaire, she argues that the opposite must be advantageous for both companies.
"In a deal, you only win if both parties are interested, but it is not enough to negotiate the contract. The experience I bring to the Port of Lobito is our concern with creating the best service provision contract, whenever possible", she clarified.
To Fernanda Albino, who has been affiliated with the Port of Sines for 34 years, the best contract is one that has as a clause everything that the concessionaire is allowed to do and what is the responsibility of the grantor, in terms of responsibility.
On the other hand, another Portuguese Ana Rita, who is in charge for communication and international cooperation for 25 years, said that the objective is to make known the information about the Port of Sines, how it is placed in the market, as wel as its main characteristics and its history.
She stated that the exchange of experiences with the Port of Lobito is being very fulfilling for both parties.
Asked about the competitiveness of this Portuguese port, she said that it is increasingly asserting itself in Europe, mainly in terms of containerized cargo.
“Last year it handled 43 million tons across the entire segment, with containerized cargo registering 1.7 million TEU”, she pointed out.
According to her, it was a year of some progress in terms of cargo movement and for 2024, a significant increase is expected.
With confidence she stated that “This year we hope to exceed two million TEU”.
During the seminar, employees of the Lobito Port and other players from the port community addressed questions relating to security, emigration services, competition, and other relevant issues, answered by the two Portuguese officials.
In his brief intervention, the chairman of the Board of Directors of Lobito Port, Celso Rosas, confirmed that the Port of Sines had "excellent results”, which is why it’s been chosen for the search for experiences.
“In the market, today a lot has already been done”, stated the CEO, adding that “those who like us, are in an embryonic phase and have become Landlord Port, have to do things well”.
“We are a Port open to the world for 96 years and it is important that our activity is recognized by everyone for its quality”, he explained.
Celso Rosas informed that it is from this perspective that his board have invested a lot in staff training.
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