Katarina Stancova put her shoulders to the wheel on 9 November for the ninth and at the same time last time in Intermodal Marketplace, the Antwerp event of multimodality. From 1 January 2024, Stancova will start at shipping company CMA CGM as Intermodal Business Development Manager.
For you, is today a special day?
Katarina Stancova: “Being able to conclude a nine-year period at Port of Antwerp-Bruges at this event gives me a fantastic feeling. In 2014, we started the ‘Intermodal Marketplace’ with 50 customers and today we are here with more than 500 customers. It is very nice for me to be able to say goodbye to my international customers and the port community here today.”
It’s not really a farewell, because even in your new role, you remain active in hinterland connections?
“True, a lot of operators and terminals want to meet now to look at opportunities and future collaborations. I will continue to focus on rail and inland shipping at CMA CGM. The most important thing is to organise inland transport in a sustainable way. CMA CGM wants to invest in sustainable intermodal transport and, depending on volumes and terminal capacities, this will be by rail or by barge.”
Road transport faces many challenges in the coming years in Antwerp. How do you see intermodality evolving further?
“Congestion of road transport will be the trigger to switch to rail and barge because there is still capacity available there. This is also exactly why so many shippers and forwarders are looking for a solution. Intermodal transport offers many long-term benefits, and if shipping companies, such as CMA CGM, can develop new rail links, for example, it will benefit all parties.”
Looking back to when you started at Port of Antwerp-Bruges, how did you see intermodality evolve?
“I myself started developing intermodal transport towards Central and Eastern Europe during my first year at Port of Antwerp-Bruges. Along the way, I got to know a lot of operators, terminals, shippers and forwarders, and in the meantime we developed shuttles towards Germany, Switzerland and France. The most important thing is the network and know-how you build up over all those years. And that is exactly what I can now play off at a player like CMA CGM.”
What are you looking forward to in your new position?
“CMA CGM is freeing up budget to set up connections with the hinterland and make the modal shift really concrete. This is very important, not only for the shipping company, but also for the ports and shippers. I am really looking forward to working commercially now. In my new position, I will really have the opportunity to develop new hinterland connections and by being allowed to realise things commercially and operationally.”
Will today really be a moment of farewell or will you not have time for that now?
“I am really going to take time today to say goodbye to many people. Friday 10 November will also immediately be my last working day at Port of Antwerp-Bruges. From December I will take a holiday to then put my shoulders to the wheel in my new position at CMA CGM from 2024. I’m looking forward to it!”
