Transport Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen says the excellent relationship between the Netherlands and Brazil is starting to bear fruit.

She made this statement after her return on Saturday from a visit to the country.

The trade mission she led, in which 35 companies took part, resulted in a deal which will see the Port of Rotterdam Authority take part in the development of a new port in the city of Porto Central in the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo, north of Rio de Janeiro.

A working group was created to translate the ties between Dutch maritime companies and the Brazilian gas and oil transport company Transpetro into concrete orders. The Dutch transport ministry said it saw further opportunities in the field of waste processing.

Ms Schultz van Haegen said that the Netherlands’ position as the fourth largest investor in Brazil offered opportunities which “we are now cashing in on.”

(gsh)

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