July 12, 2012 – With the goal of increasing commercial links between Mexico and New England, the port of New Bedford on Wednesday entered into a sister port agreement with Tuxpan in the state of Veracruz on Mexico's Gulf Coast.
Alfredo L. Sanchez Hevia, director of the port authority in Tuxpan, formally signed the agreement in a ceremony at the Waterfront Grille with New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, who also chairs the city's Harbor Development Commission.
"This agreement will make it easier for businesses to develop relationships and profit," Mitchell said. "It creates a symbiotic relationship so both ports can experience the benefits of international trade."
The agreement is more than ceremonial, Sanchez Hevia said. "Having these agreements instills confidence in the business community that government is behind them," he told The Standard-Times.
An international shipping company has already expressed interested in becoming involved in the route which hopes to bring fresh produce from Mexico to New Bedford as part of a weekly shipping service, Sanchez Hevia said, but declined to name the company. "It's too early for that," he said.
Pierre Bernier of Maritime International Inc., the waterfront cold storage facility that is one of the largest on the Eastern Seaboard, has also been working to establish the service. Bernier confirmed that a shipping company was interested but also declined to reveal its identity.
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times.