IT is often said there is strength in numbers – and I would say, even more so when those numbers are led by the Haven Gateway!

Port operators and harbour authorities from King’s Lynn to Newhaven, under the banner of the new Greater South East Ports Roundtable, gathered at the Chamber of Shipping’s offices in London last week (10 May) to discuss the opportunities and challenges faced by the industry. They were joined by Mike Penning, the Minister responsible for shipping and roads, who spoke extensively and was generous with his time responding to questions.

The Minister stressed the importance that the Government attaches to the voice of industry and welcomed the initiative by East Sussex-Essex-Kent-Medway-Southend-Thurrock and New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to bring together such a wide cross-section of ports and harbour authorities.

The Greater South East Ports Roundtable is a direct descendant of the ports roundtable which was conceived and set up by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) last year.

EEDA, which is to be disbanded under the new structures, should be congratulated for this important achievement. Will Pope, EEDA Chair, handed over the running of future and wider port roundtables to myself, as chairman of ESEKMST LEP, and the Haven Gateway Partnership, which will be providing the secretariat for the LEPs.

To list all of the ‘issues’ affecting the ports sector would take more space than I have here – they range from Light Dues to the future of Trust Ports, the future of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, offshore wind farm developments, and the thorny subject of public subsidy not only in the UK, but also in Europe.

One important message was this: Mike Penning warned that the European Commission is taking an increasing interest in shipping and ports, and he asserted the strong intention of Government and of his department to resist unnecessary regulation and, indeed, to roll back regulation wherever possible. His department would not gold-plate regulation emanating from the EC and was committed to levelling the playing field in Europe, he said.

The need for investment in the A14 was a key topic. While recognising that transport infrastructure shows a return of £7 for every £1 invested, the Minister said that the public purse in its present state was unable to finance major schemes such as the A14 widening, estimated to cost £1.1 billion. He was open, however, to local consortia bringing forward their proposals, which could take the form of an entirely new tolled road.

Mike Penning is particularly keen on developing shortsea shipping as a low-carbon solution for transporting goods around the UK. He acknowledged that such a shift would be driven by the demands of the large retailers as they improved their logistics and distribution networks.

These distributors were looking for centres located within 25-30 miles of the port, where they could break down cargoes for delivery to stores, he said. We at the Haven Gateway have always highlighted the ‘added value’ opportunities that our ports cluster brings to the regional economy; these manufacturing, assembly and distribution centres, capitalising on the proximity of our ports, can clearly generate further significant jobs and revenue not only in our ports but also in our manufacturing, transport, warehousing and distribution sectors further inland.

By George Kieffer, chairman, Haven Gateway Partnership