The Chinese company that runs Shanghai's port said Oct. 10 it has reached a framework deal to manage the Belgium port of Zeebrugge, one of Europe's largest ports. Just how the sides would co-operate as well as the size of the investment and ownership is still under discussion, Wang Qingwei, an official with Shanghai International Port's board secretary office said.
If a final agreement were reached it would make government-owned Shanghai International Port the first Chinese manager of a foreign port.
Zeebrugge, the second largest port in Belgium and the sixth largest in Europe, can currently handle 750,000 containers annually, a capacity expected to rise to two million when construction work there is completed. The Shanghai International Ports Group is the world's third largest in container capacity and busiest in terms of cargo throughput
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2006
