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 held meetings with leaders from Japan’s maritime and logistics sectors. The initiative, led by the president of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA), Gerardo Landaluce; the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Carlos Fenoy; and the president of the Port Community, José Manuel Tejedor, aimed to establish new business 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’s logistics and port services to representatives of Japan’s maritime community. The meeting was attended by Japan’s Vice-Minister of Transport and Tourism, Yoshimichi Terada; the Secretary General of the International Association of Ports (IAPH), Masahiko Furuichi; Spain’s Ambassador to Japan, Íñigo de Palacio; and the Trade Counsellor, Gonzalo Ramos.
During his speech, Landaluce conveyed the Port Authority’s interest in building lasting business relationships with Japanese companies, including Ocean Network Express (ONE), a shipping line operating at the TTI Algeciras terminal. The APBA president outlined the port’s characteristics as a link between Europe and Africa, its network of maritime services and its standing in international port-efficiency indicators.
The energy transition was also part of the presentation, with references to electrification projects under way in the port area. Among them, Landaluce mentioned the planned launch in 2027 of the first fully electric ferry between Tarifa and Tangier City, as well as the installation of shore-side electricity supply systems for berthed vessels, known as Onshore Power Supply (OPS).
For his part, Spain’s Ambassador to Japan discussed the role of the Port of Algeciras as an international logistics hub and its part in trade relations between the two countries, in a context shaped by geopolitical uncertainty.
The event included contributions from business representatives involved in maritime transport and alternative fuels. Nacho de Miguel, Peninsula’s head of alternative fuels, announced that the company had entered into a partnership with Japan’s Itochu Corporation to develop green ammonia for use as a zero-emission marine fuel.
Marek Benicak, A.P. Moller-Maersk’s head of Ocean & CPM for Northeast Asia, also discussed Algeciras’s role in international maritime transport networks and the importance of having ports capable of adapting to shipping companies’ operational needs.
The president of the Port Community of Algeciras, José Manuel Tejedor, invited Japanese shipping companies to explore new business opportunities at the port and outlined some of the operational objectives of Algeciras’s business sector, including reducing vessels’ port turnaround times.
Japan’s Vice-Minister of Transport and Tourism, Yoshimichi Terada, referred to trade relations between Spain and Japan and the framework established in 2019 through the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Japan.
The delegation’s agenda continued the following day with its participation in Forum Japan 2026, organized by TradeWinds, where attendees discussed issues related to decarbonizing maritime transport, developing alternative fuels and building resilient logistics chains in the face of geopolitical changes.
At the meeting, Landaluce noted that the Port of Algeciras had handled 1 billion tonnes of goods over the past decade and called for continued international cooperation between port communities to develop green shipping corridors.
The business delegation that travelled 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, as well as 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, promoted by the Chamber of Commerce and co-financed at 85% through European ERDF funds and the Provincial Council of Cádiz.
Japan is Spain’s largest Asian investor 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 leading port facilities and, like Algeciras, regularly rank near the top of the World Bank’s port-efficiency rankings.
