India is planning to create a Green and Digital Corridor with the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, which would be used to export green hydrogen and its carriers like ammonia and methanol to Europe.
The initiative aims to make Rotterdam the main entry point for Indian green fuel into the European market. This was discussed during the visit of India’s Commerce Secretary, Sunil Barthwal, to the Netherlands from April 24 to 26.
He met with Boudewijn Siemons, the CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, to strengthen maritime and trade ties between the two countries.
Both sides discussed about the potential for working together on digital port systems, green shipping practices, and better logistics. They also discussed sharing expertise and technology to support sustainable port development.
According to India’s commerce ministry, this visit laid the foundation for the Green and Digital Corridor that will connect Indian ports like Deendayal Port Authority in Kandla with Rotterdam.
Barthwal highlighted how this partnership aligns with India’s Maritime Vision 2030, which focuses on expanding port capacity and making logistics more efficient.
The ministry said both sides expressed strong interest in collaborating on digitalisation, clean shipping solutions, and supply chain improvements to boost trade.
During the same visit, Barthwal also met Michiel Sweers, Director General for Foreign Economic Relations at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
They discussed ways to boost economic and trade ties between India and the Netherlands.
One of the main topics was setting up a Joint Trade and Investment Committee (JTIC) to resolve trade issues and strengthen cooperation.
Barthwal also visited ASML’s headquarters and met with the company’s CEO, Christophe Fouquet.
ASML is a global leader in photolithography systems used in semiconductor manufacturing.
Their discussions focused on expanding India-Netherlands cooperation in the chip-making sector. India is looking to use ASML’s expertise as it aims to grow into a global hub for semiconductor production.
Before his Netherlands visit, Barthwal was in Croatia on April 22 and 23.
There, he held talks with Zdenko Lucić, State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development, and Ivo Milatić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy.
The two sides explored areas for cooperation such as defence, electric vehicles, healthcare, railways, renewable energy, and food processing.
Both Croatia and the Netherlands also discussed their support for the ongoing India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, aiming to move the discussions forward.
Reference: PIB, cnbctv18
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