Logistics opportunities and the options for serving the Gulf region were on the agenda when members of the Haven Gateway Partnership welcomed representatives of the new Bahrain Logistics Zone to the region.

Haven Gateway project director Richard Morton and John Winn, chairman of the Haven Gateway business forum, were joined by David Redhead, who is managing director of Claydon-based BSP International Foundations and a board member of Suffolk Chamber; Paul Brigginshaw, executive chairman of Felixstowe-based MCP; and Sally Azarmi, a trade and shipping lawyer at Birketts who works in both English and Farsi, at a lunch hosted by the Bahraini visitors.

Bader Al Mahmood, head of ports operations and regulations at Bahrain's General Organisation of Sea Ports; Hamad Fakhro, assistant director general of Bahrain Logistics Zone; and Bassam Ameen, head of business development at Bahrain Logistics Zone, visited the Haven Gateway while in the UK for the GCC Euro Expo 2008 in London.

They outlined the developments at the new Khalifa Bin Salman Port as an important new, deepwater gateway to the northern Gulf, and explained the facilities at the new Bahrain Logistics Zone, which is targeting companies looking to "add value" and use Bahrain as a gateway to the rest of the GCC Union.

The Bahraini visitors later went to Felixstowe for talks with freight forwarder Damco, and with shipping and logistics group Cory Brothers.

"This was an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas and experience with colleagues from the Middle East, where trade and logistics activities are growing rapidly," said John Winn.

"Our visitors also learned about the Haven Gateway as a 'centre of excellence' in shipping and logistics, and home to one of the UK's most important port clusters."

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For further information, contact Richard Morton, Projects Director on 01206 848416 or email richard.morton@haven-gateway.org

About the Haven Gateway Partnership

The Haven Gateway sub-region is one of the largest growth areas in the country, with a population projected to increase from 611,300 in 2001 to 684,500 by 2021.  At its commercial heart are the Haven ports - Felixstowe, Harwich International, Harwich Navyard, Mistley and Ipswich - which represent the most important group of ports in the UK.  

Haven Gateway Partnership provides a framework within which its public and private sector partners can work together, to promote economic opportunities and secure the future prosperity of the sub-region across four industry sectors: ports and logistics; marine/leisure; construction and tourism.