The Tampa Port Authority announced signing of a sister port agreement with Board of Port Administration and Economic Development of the Atlantic (JAPDEVA), which essentially strengthens commercial relationships between the two entities and encourages shared trade and marketing initiatives.
The Port of Tampa has strong trade activity with the countries of Latin America. As the port authority develops and grows container and cargo capacity, strong trade partner relationships and joint marketing efforts will become increasingly important, particularly with the coming expansion of the Panama Canal. The signing, by Richard Wainio, Tampa’s port director and CEO, and Lic. Allan Hidalgo Campos, executive president of JAPDEVA, took place today at the port authority’s administrative headquarters.
“We are very pleased to sign this important joint agreement with our Costa Rican friends, and, moving forward, will seek ways in which we can work together to increase and create trade opportunities,” Richard Wainio, Tampa’s port director and chief executive , said.
One of the nation’s largest and most cargo-diverse seaports, a major cruise home port, and shipbuilding and repair center, the Port of Tampa is the largest economic engine in west-central Florida, generating nearly 100,000 jobs and $8 billion in annual economic impact.
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World Maritime News Staff, January 18, 2012; Image: Tampa Port Authority