THIS year we welcomed our Dryport partners to Multimodal in Birmingham … we took a central role in the launch of the new Port Integration project in Hamburg … we became a core partner in the Cruise Gateway project launched in Rotterdam … we attended the Dryport Conference in Edinburgh … and we made valuable contacts with Belgian business leaders in a B2B visit to Ipswich.

The common theme in all of these events is the Haven Gateway’s increasing influence in a series of high-profile European Union projects, which are delivering real advantages at home and away.

Our visit to the massive Multimodal exhibition and conference in April gave us the opportunity to promote the Haven Gateway’s unrivalled wealth of experience, facilities and skills in the ports, shipping, transport, logistics and related sectors.

Visitors found the Haven Gateway stand at the very centre of the conference hall at the NEC, where 11 major companies and organisations from our sub-region were represented. We also used Multimodal to host a Dryport workshop attended by our partners from across Europe.

‘Dryport – a modal shift in practice’ is a public/private sector Interreg IVB North Sea Region project. Earlier this year the project was extended as we welcomed a new partner the University of Bremen’s Institute of Labour and Economy, and increased the time span of the project by six months to mid 2012.

September saw the launch of ‘Port Integration: Multimodal Innovation for Sustainable Maritime & Hinterland Transport Structures’, a three-year EU Interreg IVC project that follows on from the successful Port-net project completed earlier. Port Integration has a clear ‘green’ vision – focusing on EDI and hinterland access issues and how they can be improved, so that more logistics operators can be persuaded to choose the sea transport option.

Ports are facing many common problems in dealing with the hinterland and establishing strong connections – Port Integration is all about learning from each others’ experiences. In order to encourage more use of coastal and sea transport options, we need to improve communication and interoperability between ports. Shippers understandably want to feel secure about operations and their goods and they often need a lot of encouragement to consider the sea option!

In October, we welcomed a delegation of visitors from Belgium in a B2B event set up with VOKA-Chamber of Commerce West Flanders. This was really positive ‘networking’, with colleagues exchanging experiences and learning about the facilities, services and operations at the two regions’ ports.

And finally, the launch of Cruise Gateway, the new EU Interreg IVB North Sea Region project which is looking at ways to encourage and promote much more cruise activity in the NSR. Over the next three years, the partners will consider a broad range of topics linked to cruise and cruise potential, including joint lobbying and marketing, the building up of a regional maritime identify, and innovative ideas for passenger excursions – all against the background of environmental awareness, eco-friendly transport structures and avoiding congestion.

Our sub-region has much to learn, much to share and much to gain from the Haven Gateway’s growing influence in Europe.