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For Immediate Release: January 10, 2012
Contact: Tim Truman (202) 482-3809
Senior Obama Trade Official to Lead Ports and Maritime Technology Trade Mission to India
WASHINGTON – Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez today announced he will lead the Department’s first-ever ports and maritime technology industry trade mission to India, February 20-24. Representatives from 14 U.S. firms that provide state-of-the-art cargo handling equipment, port security, and maritime technology equipment will visit Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai.
“As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies with more than 4,600 miles of coastline, maritime transport is essential to India’s external trade,” Sánchez said. “This critical market presents lucrative opportunities for U.S. companies that offer products and services in the maritime transport sector.”
In 2011, the Government of India announced a new shipping sector policy that entails an investment of $66 billion in the port sector and $27 billion for the shipping sector. There are currently 200 ports across India; this new policy proposes to increase India’s port capacity from 1 billion tons to 3.2 billion tons by 2020.
The following companies were selected for participation in the trade mission:
- AECOM – New York, N.Y.
- The Beckett Group – Gig Harbor, Wash.
- Capacity – Longview, Texas
- ContainerTrac, Inc. – Richmond, Calif.
- DSC Dredge LLC – Reserve, La.
- Ellicott Dredges LLC – Baltimore, Md.
- Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company – Oak Brook, Ill.
- International Research and Development Solutions LLC – Arlington, Va.
- NTELX, Inc. – Vienna, Va.
- Port of Baltimore – Baltimore, Md.
- Port of San Diego – San Diego, Calif.
- Rapiscan Systems, Inc. – Arlington, Va.
- Science Applications International Corporation – San Diego, Calif.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. – Waltham, Mass.
This trade mission advances President Obama’s National Export Initiative (NEI), which aims to double U.S. exports by the end of 2014, supporting economic and job growth. It also supports the International Trade Administration’s (ITA) Growth in Emerging Metropolitan Sectors initiative. It will help U.S. companies already doing business in India increase their current level of exports and deepen their business interests.
Participating firms will gain market insights, make industry contacts, solidify business strategies, and advance specific projects with the goal of increasing U.S. exports to India. The mission will include one-on-one business appointments with pre-screened potential buyers, agents, distributors, and joint venture partners; meetings with regional government officials; and networking events.
This mission is the first in a series of events planned for 2012 designed to expand U.S. export opportunities within India’s infrastructure sectors. Commerce Secretary John Bryson will lead a high-level trade mission to Delhi, Jaipur, and Mumbai, March 25-30. It will be Bryson’s first mission as Commerce Secretary. For more information on this mission, please visit http://www.export.gov/IndiaMission2012.
For additional information, please visit http://www.export.gov/trademissions
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