If India is the new China — in the sense of great economic potential — than Virginia just raised its visibility in the country by hiring a professional marketer.

The Virginia Port Authority (VPA) has signed a short-term, $45,000 contract with England-based PL Shipping & Logistics Ltd. to promote the shipping of Indian cargo through the Hampton Roads port. PL Shipping has 12 offices covering India’s major ports and inland hubs. 

The idea is to bump up an already growing share of trade between India and Virginia.  Since 1994, the average annual growth in trade between the two countries has been 17 percent. In 2006, India ranked No. 6 in total container volume at Virginia’s port, shipping everything from tools to textiles and electronics to U. S. markets.

“If you look at a lot of the cargo forecasts and what the experts say, India is going to be a rival to China. It’s already been a strong player in this port and other ports as well, and we want to be able to capture more cargo and have a presence there,” says Joe Harris, VPA’s media relations manager. The authority will review the contract at year-end and, if all goes well, may renew it.

For more information, see our September cover story.