chemMedcluster

This morning, the Shed 1 “Moll de la Costa”, in Port de Tarragona, has been the frame of the inauguration of TankBank 2015, one of the major international events in the petrochemical field and it has chosen Tarragona in order to hold its first meeting in the Mediterranean. Tony Quinn, CEO of TankBank International; Josep Andreu, president of the Port de Tarragona and Francesc Sánchez, general manager of the Port de Tarragona were in charge of welcoming the hundred attendees which are representatives of major companies in the storage industry, management of chemical and petrochemical terminals, European Ports and manufacturers of storage tanks.

In his speech, the president of the Port de Tarragona, and vice president of ChemMed, defended the strategic role that plays this territory on the international map and the possibilities it offers as an investment destination. Before him, the CEO of TankBank, Tony Quinn, has given the starting point for the conference and he wanted to stress the great potential of Tarragona, not only for its strategic location, also for the ability that the territory has in economic and development growth next to the powerful chemical industry and the Port de Tarragona. Moreover, among others, the director of Tepsa Spain, LLuis Sala and the Director of Operations of Repsol refinery in Tarragona, Baltasar, Boix have spoken this morning.

Before ending the morning conference the participants have made a sea tour by port facilities.

The Chemical Cluster of the Mediterranean has put full stop to the first day of TankBank in Tarragona in the Hipòlit sarcophagus room in Tower of Pretorio, which has hosted the presentation of this project that brings together the Chemical Industry, the Port de Tarragona and all the agents surrounding the sector in this territory. Its president, Jesus Loma-Ossorio, presented to the attendees the project in company of the vice president of ChemMed Tarragona, Josep Andreu.

President of AEQT and ChemMed explained that the cluster born just to anticipate the future, placing a value on the potential of Tarragona and to project this brand to the world in search of investments to consolidate the future of this industry in the territory. Loma took the opportunity to travel back in time to explain what role the petrochemical sector has played in the last half century in Tarragona and how now it makes a step forward into the specialties world.

This afternoon session was also attended by the Mayor of Tarragona, who wanted to receive the TankBank attendees in the same “Tower del Pretorio”. In his speech the mayor stressed the importance of the territory as an economic engine, pointing the chemical industry, the Port de Tarragona and other sectors such as knowledge and tourism. Josep Felix Ballesteros has placed the audience in the historic site where they were, recalling that Tarragona is a place not only of past and present also with future.

ChemMed Tarragona sponsors the SIL CHEMICAL 2015, in collaboration with the promoters of the cluster : Port de Tarragona and the Chemical Business Association of Tarragona (AEQT). The conference will take place on Thursday 11th June at 9.30 am in the Pabilex room, in the context of the International Logistics , and entitled as “ChemMed Tarragona, common infrastructure and competitive services”. In this way, after more than one year of international diffusion, the chemical cluster in the Mediterranean returns to SIL to expose his maturity as a cluster and to value the strengths and assets on the global map of the chemical industry and logistics.

ChemMed Tarragona is a brand for the promotion at international level with some very clear lines which show that Tarragona has all the elements necessary  to develop the future challenges of the sector.

The SIL CHEMICAL 2015 is the fourth edition which this year includes as speakers Jesus Loma-Ossorio, president of ChemMed Tarragona and AEQT; Josep Andreu i Figueras, president of the Port de Tarragona and vice president of ChemMed Tarragona; Marc Fargas, CEO of AITASA; Teresa Pallares, general manager of AEQT and ChemMed Tarragona and Francesc Sánchez, CEO of the Port of Tarragona and board member of ChemMed Tarragona.

ChemMed Tarragona is the most important chemical cluster in the Mediterranean. The sum of the chemical industry, the port and all the agents that surround it have  provided a reality that has 50 years of experience and highlighting, among others, major infrastructure associated, as the pipe rack Dixquímics, plant regenerated water, the Chemical Safety Parks, common emissary, the moll de la química or common service for the operation of marine pollution contingency, are some of the examples that have given meaning to the premise that there is strength in numbers .

To register on the day SIL CHEMICAL 2015: http://www.silbcn.com/cat/actos_jornadas/jornada_chemical.php

The 2014 awards of the Association for the Promotion of the Port of Tarragona (APPORTT), now in its twelfth year, honoured ChemMed Tarragona as the most active company in the exterior promotion of the port area which seeks to consolidate Tarragona on the global map of the chemical industry and logistics sector.

The judges considered that ChemMed Tarragona bases its strategy on publicising its assets and positioning the Port of Tarragona on the worldwide chemical industry and logistics map.

The APPORTT awards aim to recognise the work of organisations and companies that devote their efforts to promoting the Port of Tarragona.

Among the other winners, ASESA, a company associated with the AEQT, received the quality award for renewing several European and energy management certifications.

This afternoon saw the formal incorporation of ChemMed Tarragona, the industrial, logistics, academic and chemical science cluster. The ceremony took place at the city’s Palau de Congressos conference centre and was attended by the president of the Government of Catalonia, Artur Mas; the general secretary for State infrastructure, Manuel Niño; and the city’s mayor, Josep Fèlix Ballesteros.

The act of incorporation was also witnessed by representatives of the 30 bodies and institutions that make up ChemMed Tarragona, which transmitted their message by means of a video. ‘Today we begin a process that I think is unprecedented, in which all of us involved in the chemical industry commit to raising the value of our assets and offering them internationally to position Tarragona on the global map,’ said the chairman of the Chemical Business Association of Tarragona (AEQT), Jesús Loma-Ossorio, who also referred to the need for chemistry to adapt, for science and industry to contribute solutions for overcoming the significant challenges facing our planet.

‘With the cluster we aim to advance and to convert our strengths into opportunities. We have analysed the potential that exists in the area of Tarragona and we have compared it with the challenges that European industry will have to respond to in the future. It is important to specialise in a chemical industry with a high added value, great diversification and a high degree of innovation, both in its processes and in its products,’ he stated. ‘In Tarragona we have all of the necessary components to take on future challenges in the sector. An industry at the service of the economic progress of our region.’

The president of the Port of Tarragona, Josep Andreu, highlighted the significance of the event for the port and publicly thanked Minister of Development Ana Pastor, who was not able to attend for personal reasons, for ‘the support she has always given the Port of Tarragona, our investments, our projects, and it is especially important to point out her full and total support of the Tercer Fil project, a strategic and fundamental project for the future of our port.’ ‘Our goal is to promote the chemical industry, as well as research and development, with the support of the transport network,’ the General Secretary of State Infrastructure, Manuel Niño, emphasised.

Niño also pointed out that the chemical sector has made a surprising comeback, achieving pre-economic crisis figures, and mentioned the Ministry of Development’s commitment to the Mediterranean Corridor to increase competitiveness which, in turn, will lead to the development of logistics and better access to Mediterranean ports. ‘The Ministry of Development, through Adif Alt Velocidad, has approved today, Friday, investments for the development of the Mediterranean Corridor.’

The president of the Government of Catalonia, Artur Mas, who, like the other speakers, gave his speech in Catalan, Spanish and English, the three official languages of ChemMed Tarragona, spoke about the commitment to the future that the industry represents for Catalonia and mentioned the industry’s ability to share the stage with other economic sectors, especially in the area of Tarragona. ‘We are dedicated to making Catalonia a business-friendly country,’ Mas emphasised, ‘to reducing bureaucracy, to simplifying processes. We are committed to making Catalonia a good place for investment.’

About ChemMed Tarragona

ChemMed Tarragona is a project promoted by the Chemical Business Association of Tarragona (AEQT) and the Port of Tarragona for the purpose of internationally projecting the attractiveness and competitiveness of the region for industry, teaching, research, logistics and chemistry.

ChemMed Tarragona enjoys the support of:

– Institutions: The Government of Spain, the Government of Catalonia, the provincial government and the city and town councils of Alcover, Constantí, El Morell, Flix, La Canonja, La Pobla de Mafumet, Perafort, Reus, Salou, Tarragona, Tortosa, Valls and Vila-seca

– Service companies (AEST)

– Education, talent, research and innovation centres: Universitat Rovira i Virgili, ICIQ, CTQ, and the secondary schools of Comte de Rius, Pere Martell and Vidal i Barraquer

– The business sector through the chambers of commerce of Tarragona, Reus, Valls and Tortosa

– Trade unions, Comissions Obreres and the UGT