Port of Algeciras Concludes Trade Mission to Japan with New Opportunities for Business, Institutional and Port Cooperation
Delegation of around thirty professionals takes part in institutional and business meetings in Tokyo to showcase the port’s connectivity, its decarbonisation projects and opportunities for collaboration with the Japanese maritime sector.
The Port of Algeciras has concluded a trade mission to Japan, during which a delegation of around thirty institutional and business representatives from the Bay of Algeciras met with leaders of the Japanese maritime and logistics sector. The initiative was headed by Gerardo Landaluce, Chairman of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA); Carlos Fenoy, President of the Chamber of Commerce; and José Manuel Tejedor, President of the Algeciras Port Community. Its aim was to establish new commercial relationships and expand cooperation between the two port communities.
The Embassy of Spain in Tokyo hosted the mission’s main event, a presentation of Algeciras’ logistics and port offering to representatives of the Japanese maritime community. Attendees included Yoshimichi Terada, Japan’s Vice-Minister of Transport and Tourism; Masahiko Furuichi, Secretary General of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH); Íñigo de Palacio, Spain’s Ambassador to Japan; and Gonzalo Ramos, Commercial Counsellor.
In his address, Landaluce conveyed the Port Authority’s interest in building lasting commercial relationships with Japanese companies, including Ocean Network Express (ONE), the shipping line that operates at the TTI Algeciras terminal. The APBA Chairman outlined the port’s role as a gateway between Europe and Africa, its network of maritime services and its standing in international port efficiency rankings.
The energy transition was also part of the presentation, with references to the electrification projects under way in the port area. Among them, Landaluce mentioned the scheduled entry into service in 2027 of the first fully electric ferry between Tarifa and Tangier City, as well as the rollout of shore-to-ship power systems for berthed vessels, known as Onshore Power Supply (OPS).
For his part, the Spanish Ambassador to Japan spoke about the role of the Port of Algeciras as an international logistics hub and its importance in trade relations between the two countries, in a context marked by geopolitical uncertainty.
The event included contributions from business representatives linked to maritime transport and alternative fuels. Nacho de Miguel, Head of Alternative Fuels at Peninsula, announced that the company has entered into an alliance with Japan’s Itochu Corporation to develop green ammonia for use as a zero-emission marine fuel.
Marek Benicak, Head of Ocean & CPM for Northeast Asia at A.P. Moller-Maersk, discussed Algeciras’ role within global shipping networks and the importance of having ports able to adapt to carriers’ operational needs.
José Manuel Tejedor, President of the Algeciras Port Community, invited Japanese shipping companies to explore new business opportunities at the port and set out some of the operational goals of the local port industry, including shorter vessel turnaround times.
Japan’s Vice-Minister of Transport and Tourism, Yoshimichi Terada, referred to trade relations between Spain and Japan and to the framework in place since 2019 under the EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement.
The delegation’s agenda continued the following day with its participation in Forum Japan 2026, organised by TradeWinds, where discussions covered shipping decarbonisation, the development of alternative fuels and the resilience of supply chains in the face of geopolitical change.
At this event, Landaluce noted that the Port of Algeciras has handled 1 billion tonnes of cargo over the past decade and stressed the need to maintain international cooperation between port communities in order to develop green shipping corridors.
The business delegation travelling to Japan comprised professionals from A. Pérez y Cía, BMT Repairs, Crosscomar, Elcome, Gibunco Ship Agency, Mertramar, Neko Ship Supply, Peninsula, ROSM, Sandvik, Tanaval, Total Logistic Services and Zener, together with representatives of the APBA, the Port Community and the Chamber of Commerce of the Bay of Algeciras.
The trade mission was supported by ICEX Tokyo and the Economic and Commercial Office of Spain in Japan, and funded through the Global SME Programme (Programa Pyme Global), run by the Chamber of Commerce and co-financed at 85% by European ERDF funds and the Cádiz Provincial Council.
Japan is the leading Asian investor in Spain and the second-largest destination for Spanish exports to Asia, after China. Spanish products sold on the Japanese market include pork and olive oil. In the maritime sector, the ports of Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Kobe are among the country’s main port facilities and, like Algeciras, regularly rank near the top of the World Bank’s port efficiency rankings.
SOURCE: EL ESTRECHO DIGITAL
