THE Haven Gateway had strong representation at the annual general meeting of the EU's Dryport project and there was much to learn on all sides.

As one of the core partners of the project, we were pleased to be able to report a number of key achievements - including setting up a "destination and origin" study for containers moving through the Haven ports, something that has attracted great attention and interest in the maritime press and from other port areas in Europe.

The location of the Dryport event, which included a Dryport and Inland Shipping Conference, was Harlingen, in the northern Netherlands.  

The port has ambitious plans to deepen its access from the Ijsselmeer Sea, which will allow more barge connections with the giant ports of Amsterdam and Rotterdam - Harlingen acting as a "wet dry port"! 

But it also has plans to expand seawards and attract more shipping lines in its own right.  The mayor of Harlingen, Peter Scheffer, put his case emphatically when he pointed out that a number of large manufacturing companies local to the town actually transport their goods by road all the way to Amsterdam or Rotterdam, "and yet how close they are to the sea via Harlingen".

Harlingen had the potential to expand dramatically as the gateway to the northern Netherlands, he said.

Councillor John Hinton, representing Babergh District Council - a joint partner with the Haven Gateway in Dryport - said: "I was so impressed with Harlingen and its plans for the port - but what really impressed me was the overall attitude of the whole of Friesland, one of cooperation rather than competition.

"We have all got things to gain from Dryports. During my visit I gained insight into how the local university was tailoring education to meet job expectations in the area - for example, offering degrees courses covering canal management and coastal erosion.

"Last year our Swedish partners in Dryport (Region Västra Götaland, the Port of Gothenburg, road and rail authorities and the Municipality of Falköping) showed us how much they had already achieved through cooperation, forward planning and working with the private sector.

The AGM was "a gradual coming together of all sorts of different ways of thinking", said John. "Sharing experiences is a much faster way of learning than doing it on your own.

"I came away thinking about the many opportunities we must explore - because there are a lot there that could stimulate our economy."

For further information go to www.dryport.org