Not long ago, the European Union officially recognised the Haven Gateway as a ‘maritime centre of excellence’ – and where better to promote that excellence than at European Maritime Day?

After Brussels 2008, Rome 2009, Gijon 2010 and Gdansk 2011, the 2012 European Maritime Day events are taking place in Gothenburg this week (May 21-23). In fact, we are talking about several parallel events, and the Haven Gateway will be well represented at them all, in our own right and through two of the EU Interreg projects in which we have been playing a core role.

Both Dryport and Port Integration will have their own stands at the EUMD exhibition, to explain their activities and achievements to a very wide audience.

Dryport will also partner up with others to present a session entitled ‘Connectivity for Blue Growth’, as part of the EUMD Stakeholder Day. This session promises to be of significant interest to ports across Europe.

The discussions will focus on ports as a significant element of ‘blue growth’, as they create more value through efficient logistics operations. Modern ports aim to minimise delays, decrease turnaround times and maximise efficiency – but their activities have an impact on the environment around them. Among the solutions to be discussed is connecting ships to shoreside electricity.

In addition, Dryport has timed its final conference to follow on from EUMD.  The partners will meet for the last time to exchange ideas and experiences gained throughout the three-and-a-half-year lifetime of the project. Speakers will cover subjects such as dryports in action, the use of RFID in the logistics chain, and transport efficiency in the context of dryports.

The theme of the main EUMD conference is ‘Sustainable growth from the oceans, seas and coasts: blue growth’. One of the joint organisers is the region of Västra Götaland, the lead partner in Dryport.

The EUMD programme features a pretty hefty schedule of speakers and parallel sessions, and provides a valuable opportunity for the Haven Gateway to learn more about the future of European maritime policy and how it could impact on, and offer opportunities for, our region.

The first session considers ‘Marine and maritime innovation – lead markets in Europe’. The session will ask: how can innovation act as a catalyst for growth and jobs, both in established and emerging marine and maritime activities? How can Europe retain and strengthen its lead in these markets through innovation and research? What are the barriers and opportunities?

Another key discussion is around ‘Sustainable use of healthy seas’. Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP), as promoted by the EU integrated maritime policy, is crucial for creating an environment in which the maritime economy can grow in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem. Transparency, stability, predictability and reduced transaction costs are the factors that encourage and accelerate investments – and they are, says the EU, among the benefits that MSP can bring.