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Press Release, 24.09.2007
Port-Net partners meet for final conference at Hamburg
AFTER more than two years of workshops, conferences, best practice tours and several papers and studies being published considering the common challenges faced by ports across Europe, the EU's Port-Net project holds its closing conference and general assembly in Hamburg this week. (Sept 25-28). Delegates will be focusing on EU Port Policy at this final event, presenting a series of high-profile speakers.

The Port-Net "family" can look back with satisfaction on what has been achieved over the past two years. Port-Net was set up with a budget of Euro 1.5 million and has focused on four key topics: EU policies, port administration and finance; maritime cargo transportation challenges; port operations, hinterland cargo distribution and "ports and people".

"We have discussed and learned about the many common challenges facing ports across Europe; among these are increasing the efficiency and capacity of terminal operations; encouraging short-sea shipping instead of long-distance haulage; promoting "green" inland connections; tackling issues of finance and administration; reconciling the different priorities of waterside residents and cargo handling operations, often in close proximity; and attracting and providing facilities for today's massive cruise ships," says Hans-Ulrich Wolff, head of the Port-Net project management team at Hamburg-based UNICONSULT, which has been responsible for the overall financial and organisational implementation of the project on behalf of Hamburg Port Authority (HPA).

Dissemination of all conference results beyond the 18 Port-Net partners has been one core issue of the project, with all papers, studies etc., published on the Port-Net website (www.port-net.net), says Mr Wolff.

"At the same time, the Port-Net delegates have had the opportunity to make many useful contacts in the European ports sector and gather useful knowledge along the way."

The Port-Net conference will open with a talk entitled "Beyond Port Package II - latest developments in EU port policies" by Jana Schiedek of HPA.

Riina Palu, of the Port of Tallinn, will then discuss "EU port policy - a new member state's position".

Roel Hoenders, from ESPO (the European Sea Ports Organisation), will speak on "EU policy on port and environment". Later in the programme, the EC's José Fernandez Garcia will discuss EU maritime transport policy.

Port-Net's closing conference coincides with the EU Interreg Northern Maritime Corridors II conference being held in Hamburg, and some joint sessions will be held by the two projects to look at the Motorways of the Sea topic.
Also in Hamburg this week is the Seatrade Europe cruise exhibition and conference. Port-Net delegates will spend a morning at Seatrade.

Port-Net's final general assembly in Hamburg on Friday (Sept 28) will draft first guidelines for an application for a Port-Net II project under the new Interreg IVC programme being launched last week at Lisbon.

"A possible new project will on the one hand further strengthen the network already built up, extending it where appropriate, and on the other hand work towards sustainability in building up multimodal transport structures for EU ports in general and the Port-Net partners in particular by transferring concrete best practice from and to different regions of the EU," says Mr Wolff.

PORT-NET: notes for editors

Port-Net is an EU Interreg IIIC Network project with partners from 12 European countries and Russia. Its objective has been to identify and tackle the main challenges faced by European ports in order to create better operational structures and capacities as well as to achieve the best possible regional integration of ports. Port-Net has worked towards these targets through a series of workshops, presentations, studies and best practice tours. Previous events have taken place in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands and Poland.

Three components differentiate the activities by topics. The first component deals mainly with the application and further development of EU policies. Improvements in the multimodal transport structure and maritime cargo challenges are the subjects under discussion within the second component. The final component focuses on tourism and urban development from a port perspective.

The lead partner of Port-Net is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, represented by the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA). A full list of partners can be founded at www.port-net.net. A democratic network structure guarantees equal involvement and a proper consideration of the interests of all partners. Project co-ordination is executed by UNICONSULT, a port and transport consultancy from Hamburg.

Further information can be obtained from
Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), Anna Ode
(E-mail: anna.ode@hpa.hamburg.de /
Phone: +49 40 42847 3069),
Project Management Team, Hans-Ulrich Wolff
(E-mail: u.wolff@uniconsult-hamburg.de /
Phone: +49 40 74008 105)
and from the project website: www.port-net.net.

Hamburg, September 24th, 2007
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Port-Net partners meet for final conference at Hamburg,
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Press Release, 04.07.2007
'Passenger pollution' drives cruise operators to look elsewhere
"PASSENGER pollution" in some key destinations is throwing up opportunities for relatively unknown ports to tap into the burgeoning cruise market, delegates at a Port-Net cruise workshop were told.

"Cruise operators are looking for new destinations, due to 'passenger pollution' in some key destinations – thus there are market niches for 'unknown' ports, provided they can offer some excursion services, etc.," said Hans-Ulrich Wolff, representing the Port-Net project management team at Hamburg-based Uniconsult.

However, the delegates also concluded that cruise seems to be, at least for some ports in the north of Europe, not a very profitable business – its value is more in the glamour it brings to the port/city in which cruise ships call.

Europe is the fastest growing cruise destination in the world. Last year, 3.2 million Europeans chose a cruise holiday – a rise of 13% on 2005. Against this background of rapid expansion, the Port-Net best practice tour and workshop looked at different aspects of the cruise industry, taking in visits to the ports of Hamburg, Kiel and Genoa.

Topics raised during the workshop included:
- The ever-increasing size of cruise ships and the problems some ports face in terms of providing suitable berths that are long enough but also close to the city;
- Cruise operators looking for new destinations due to "passenger pollution" in some places;
- The cruise operators' success in finding new target groups – e.g. families – which is bringing down the average age of a cruise passenger;
- Britain as the largest passenger cruise market in Europe, with Germany coming up behind with a large potential still untapped;
- The trend towards shorter cruises, sometimes down to mini-cruises of only a few days.

Susanne Milberg of Hamburg Port Consulting spoke about the development of Hamburg's cruise market and discussed passenger forecasts, while Nadine Palatz of the Hamburg Cruise Center, discussed marketing the city/port as a cruise destination. The Port of Hamburg opened its second cruise terminal in April 2006, and is also investing in new facilities for 2009. Other speakers included Joachim Koehn, general manager of UNIKAI Hafenbetrieb, who gave a talk entitled "Glamour for the Port".

At Kiel, the leading German Baltic Sea port for passengers and cruise vessel turnrounds, the
port's general manager and head of sales and marketing, Heinz Bachmann, and Ulf Jahnke, the port's corporate communications manager, discussed challenges and chances at the port, and delegates visited the port's new cruise terminal opened in April this year. Kai-Uwe Maross, senior manager port operations for AIDA Cruises, discussed what the cruise lines want from the ports.

At Genoa, the focus was on the latest IT developments in the cruise sector, and the latest trends in the cruise sector in the Mediterranean.

PORT-NET: notes for editors

Port-Net is an EU Interreg IIIC North Network project with 20 partners from 12 European countries and Russia. Its objective is to identify and tackle the main challenges faced by European ports in order to create better operational structures and capacities as well as to achieve the best possible regional integration of ports. These targets continue to be achieved through workshops, presentations, studies and best practice tours. Previous events have taken place in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta the Netherlands and Poland.

Three components differentiate the activities by topics. The first component deals mainly with the application and further development of EU policies. Improvements in the multimodal transport structure and maritime cargo challenges are the subjects under discussion within the second component. The final component focuses on tourism and urban development from a port perspective.

The lead partner of Port-Net is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, represented by the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA). A full list of partners can be founded at www.port-net.net. A democratic network structure guarantees equal involvement and a proper consideration of the interests of all partners. Project co-ordination is executed by UNICONSULT, a port and transport consultancy from Hamburg.

Further information can be obtained from
Hamburg Port Authority, Anna Ode
(E-mail: anna.ode@hpa.hamburg.de /
Phone: +49 40 42847 3069),
Project Management Team, Hans-Ulrich Wolff
(E-mail: u.wolff@uniconsult-hamburg.de /
Phone: +49 40 74008 105)
and from the project website: www.port-net.net.
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"'Passenger pollution' drives cruise operators to look elsewhere",
04.07.2007
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Press Release, 19.06.2007
Port-Net delegates line up three ports of call on their cruise itinerary
Europe is the fastest growing cruise destination in the world, and last year 3.2 million Europeans chose a cruise holiday – a rise of 13% compared to 2005.

Against this background of rapid expansion, port delegates from around Europe will get three very different views of the cruise industry during a "best practice" tour and workshop next week (June 25th to 29th).

The Port-Net participants will meet to learn about and discuss experiences, investments and operations in the cruise sector at the ports of Hamburg, Kiel and Genoa.

The workshop will begin at the Port of Hamburg, which opened a second cruise terminal in April 2006 to handle a record season and is also investing in further new facilities for 2009.

Susanne Milberg of Hamburg Port Consulting (HPC) will speak on the development of Hamburg’s cruise market, and discuss passenger forecasts. Later, Dirk Moldenhauer, managing director of the Hamburg Cruise Center, will talk about marketing Hamburg as a cruise destination.

Later in the workshop, Joachim Koehn, general manager of UNIKAI Hafenbetrieb, will give a talk entitled "Glamour for the Port".

Kiel is the leading German Baltic Sea port for passengers and for cruise vessel turnrounds. Here, Heinz Bachmann, general manager and head of sales and marketing, and Ulf Jahnke, Kiel port’s manager, corporate communications, will discuss "Passengers and Cruise at the Port of Kiel – Challenges and Chances", and delegates will visit the new cruise terminal opened in April this year.

They will also hear things from the cruise operator’s perspective, when Kai-Uwe Maross, senior manager port operations for AIDA Cruises, discusses what cruise lines want from ports.

At the Port of Genoa, the focus will be on the latest IT developments in the cruise sector. Delegates will hear about RAM-Rete Autostrade Mediterranee’s booking online and access systems, and also see a practical demonstration of the IT ticketing system, to be followed by presentations on the latest trends in the cruise sector in the Mediterranean Sea.
"This workshop covers a broad spectrum of subjects within the cruise sector and promises to be one of the highlights of the Port-Net programme," says Ingo Fehrs of Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) which is the host of this workshop (together with Appennino Genovese, GAL). "It continues the Port-Net theme of sharing experience and best practice across members’ ports, and all the partners have much to gain from this approach."

PORT-NET: notes for editors

Port-Net is an EU Interreg IIIC North Network project with 20 partners from 12 European countries and Russia. Its objective is to identify and tackle the main challenges faced by European ports in order to create better operational structures and capacities as well as to achieve the best possible regional integration of ports. These targets continue to be achieved through workshops, presentations, studies and best practice tours. Previous events have taken place in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta the Netherlands and Poland.

Three components differentiate the activities by topics. The first component deals mainly with the application and further development of EU policies. Improvements in the multimodal transport structure and maritime cargo challenges are the subjects under discussion within the second component. The final component focuses on tourism and urban development from a port perspective.

The lead partner of Port-Net is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, represented by the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA). A full list of partners can be founded at www.port-net.net. A democratic network structure guarantees equal involvement and a proper consideration of the interests of all partners. Project co-ordination is executed by UNICONSULT, a port and transport consultancy from Hamburg.

Further information can be obtained from
Hamburg Port Authority, Anna Ode
(E-mail: anna.ode@hpa.hamburg.de /
Phone: +49 40 42847 3069),
Project Management Team, Hans-Ulrich Wolff
(E-mail: u.wolff@uniconsult-hamburg.de /
Phone: +49 40 74008 105)
and from the project website: www.port-net.net.
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"Port-Net delegates line up three ports of call on their cruise itinerary",
19.06.2007
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Press Release, 17.09.2006
Port-Net delegates call for transparency in port finance
TRANSPARENCY over port finance is still lacking in many areas of Europe and clear definitions are needed in all discussions of port development funding in order to make fair comparisons, port delegates from across Europe concluded at a workshop in Hamburg.

Members of the European Port-Net project also agreed that timely and sufficient infrastructure financing is one of the outstanding challenges for nearly all European ports, whether publicly owned, private or "intermediate".

The Port Financing Workshop, organised in parallel with Port-Net's General Assembly 2006, considered current trends in the financing of port developments, discussed the various options for funding such investments, and listened to "best practice" cases from Hamburg and from the UK, the latter being presented by representatives of the Haven Gateway, the UK's Port-Net partner.

Among their results and recommendations, the 35 delegates, mainly from European port authorities, agreed that transparency is still lacking in some areas/countries, although basic rules exist, including the EU Directive 2000/52/EC.

"The participants agreed that an ongoing study for the European Commission could bring some more 'definite' clarity and that a closer look at 'EU aid' for ports and its impact on competition in this sector could also be worthwhile," said Dr Matthias Ross of Hamburg Port Authority. "Also, it was agreed that, in particular, clear definitions are needed for all terms used in infrastructure financing discussions, to avoid comparing apples and pears."

Other conclusions were:

- The role of private investors in financing port infrastructure will grow, especially in the light of increasing public funding constraints;

- Examples of privately financed projects in UK ports demonstrate demand-driven investments and operational efficiency;

- Future EU-seaport policy and the development of Seaport Policy Guidelines should take into account all factors, including efficiency and external welfare.

"We have still to become used to the fact that we are living in 'one Europe' and that national port policies sometimes still follow not economic rationality but political (national, regional and local) preferences," said one delegate.
The issue of port financing is becoming ever more critical in the light of the European Commission's ongoing liberalisation policy and the dramatically increased demand for new port handling capacities and improved hinterland connections, especially in the container sector.

"As it is the clear objective of the European Commission to encourage private investment in the port sector, the 'Public Private Partnership' (PPP) model was discussed and experiences exchanged, especially with regard to their impact on the port's role as a catalyst for regional development," said Dr Ross.

A follow-up workshop, Port Financing II, will be hosted by two more Port-Net partners, Hamina (Finland) and Tallinn (Estonia) in June 2007.

PORT-NET: notes for editors

Port-Net is an EU Interreg IIIC Network project with 20 partners from 12 European countries and Russia. Its objective is to identify and tackle the main challenges faced by European ports in order to create better operational structures and capacities as well as to achieve the best possible regional integration of ports. These targets continue to be achieved through workshops, presentations, studies and best practice tours. Previous events have taken place in Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands and Poland.

Three components differentiate the activities by topics. The first component deals mainly with the application and further development of EU policies. Improvements in the multimodal transport structure and maritime cargo challenges are the subjects under discussion within the second component. The final component focuses on tourism and urban development from a port perspective.

The lead partner of Port-Net is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, represented by the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA). A full list of partners can be founded at www.port-net.net. A democratic network structure guarantees equal involvement and a proper consideration of the interests of all partners. Project co-ordination is executed by UNICONSULT, a port and transport consultancy from Hamburg.

Further information can be obtained from
Hamburg Port Authority, Dr Matthias Ross
(E-mail: matthias.ross@hpa.hamburg.de /
Phone: +49 40 42847 3012),
Project Management Team, Hans-Ulrich Wolff
(E-mail: u.wolff@uniconsult-hamburg.de /
Phone: +49 40 74008 105)
and from the project website: www.port-net.net.
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"Port-Net delegates call for transparency in port finance", 17.09.2006
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Press Release, 12.09.2006
Financial agenda for Port-Net partners
THE increasing role of private investment in the international ports sector will be one of the key issues to be discussed by members of the European Port-Net initiative at a Port Financing Workshop to be held in Hamburg from September 12 to 15.

The workshop, organised in parallel with Port-Net's General Assembly 2006, will consider current trends in the financing of port infrastructure. The 35 participants, mainly from European port authorities, will have intensive discussions around this specific field of sustainable port development in Europe and a broad exchange of know-how is expected.

The issue of port financing is becoming ever more critical in the light of the European Commission's ongoing liberalisation policy and the dramatically increased demand for new port handling capacities and improved hinterland connections, especially in the container sector.

"The workshop will hear about and discuss finance options for port investments in the light of EU proposals on public funding and 'user pays' principles," said Dr Matthias Ross, of Hamburg Port Authority. "As it is the clear objective of the European Commission to encourage private investment in the port sector, the 'Public Private Partnership' (PPP) model will be discussed and experiences exchanged, especially with regard to their impact on the port's role as a catalyst for regional development."

Best practice cases from Hamburg and UK, the latter to be presented by a representative of the Haven Gateway, also a Port-Net partner, will highlight the increasing role of private investment in the international port sector, Dr Ross added. The workshop is being supported by one of the leading European private banks, which will give the inside view on project financing instruments and present a recent case study.

A follow-up Port Financing workshop will be held in Hamina, Finland, in mid-2007.
PORT-NET: notes for editors

Port-Net is an EU Interreg IIIC Network project with 20 partners from 12 European countries and Russia. Its objective is to identify and tackle the main challenges faced by European ports in order to create better operational structures and capacities as well as to achieve the best possible regional integration of ports. These targets continue to be achieved through workshops, presentations, studies and best practice tours. Previous events have taken place in Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands and Poland.

Three components differentiate the activities by topics. The first component deals mainly with the application and further development of EU policies. Improvements in the multimodal transport structure and maritime cargo challenges are the subjects under discussion within the second component. The final component focuses on tourism and urban development from a port perspective.

The lead partner of Port-Net is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, represented by the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA). A full list of partners can be founded at www.port-net.net. A democratic network structure guarantees equal involvement and a proper consideration of the interests of all partners. Project co-ordination is executed by UNICONSULT, a port and transport consultancy from Hamburg.

Further information can be obtained from
Hamburg Port Authority, Dr Matthias Ross
(E-mail: matthias.ross@hpa.hamburg.de /
Phone: +49 40 42847 3012),
Project Management Team, Hans-Ulrich Wolff
(E-mail: u.wolff@uniconsult-hamburg.de /
Phone: +49 40 74008 105)
and from the project website: www.port-net.net.
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"Financial agenda for Port-Net partners", 12.09.2006
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Press Release, 17.06.2005
Port-Net partners "fear the consequences" of EU's revised directive
HIGHER port dues, more expensive port services, lower investments and, in the long run, a monopolistic dominance by non-European companies could be the consequences of the EU's revised access to port services directive, according to the members of the new European networking initiative Port-Net.

An intensive discussion on the proposals took place at Port-Net's opening conference, which was held in Hamburg. "All participants feared the consequences of implementation of this directive and these were their conclusions," said Dr Matthias Ross, representing Port-Net's lead partner, the City of Hamburg.

"Hence, Port-Net does not expect the targets of more competition and improved efficiency to be achieved and rejects the current version of the directive. Only the announced state aid guidelines indicate a right way towards more financial transparency and fair competition. Within its activities, Port-Net intends to contribute constructively to further discussion on the market access to port services."

Port-Net, an EU-Interreg IIIC project of 20 partners from 12 European countries and Russia, formally started its activities with the four-day conference in Hamburg, discussing current transport issues relating to European Union policies.
The 35 participants identified a wide range of common problems and agreed that improved co-operation and combined efforts will contribute to a more efficient and environmentally sustainable transport policy.

The main subjects under discussion were questions about EU transport policy, the port services directive and urban integration of former port areas.

Ioannis Gheivelis of the Directorate General Transport & Energy spoke on EU transport policy.

"All participants agreed that in the face of the high growth of transport, European ports have a crucial role to play in shifting a significant share of this to more environmentally transport modes," said Dr Ross. However, Port-Net points out that ports are
only one link in the intermodal transport chain and promoting intermodal transport requires the improvement of all involved modes, including rail, shipping and inland navigation. Even more attention should be directed to the use of up-to-date technologies, modern administrative procedures and equal conditions guaranteeing fair competition within the transport market.

Urban integration of former port areas is something most of the partners of Port-Net are currently involved in. Exchanging best practice knowledge of how to deal with flood protection and noise conflicts as well as how to attract residents and create environments offering good quality of life will be an important aspect of future Port-Net activities.

Port-Net was approved by the EU in January 2005 and has a € 1.7m budget until 2007. Its objective is to identify and tackle the main challenges faced by the European ports industry in order to create better operational structures and capacities and achieve the best possible regional integration of ports. These targets will be achieved through workshops, lectures and best practice tours at the locations of the partners as well as through external expertise and studies.
Lead partner of the project is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg but a democratic network structure guarantees equal involvement and a proper consideration of the interests of all partners. Project co-ordination is executed by UNICONSULT, a port and transport consultancy from Hamburg.

Port-Net's partner locations cover all four EU zones as well as "old" and "new" member states. The partners are the Haven Gateway (UK), Antwerp (BE), Lübeck (D), Koege (DK), Wismar (D), Szczecin (PL), Elblag (PL), Kaliningrad (RU), Klaipeda (LT), Riga (LV), Tallinn (ES), Hamina (FI), Genoa (IT), Allessandria (IT), Emilia Romagna (IT), Ancona G.E.I.E. (IT), Volos (GR), Souda (GR) and Malta (MT).

Further information can be obtained from the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, State Ministry for Economic and Labour Affairs, Dr. Matthias Ross, Email: Matthias.Ross@hpa.hamburg.de, Phone: +49 40 42847 3012 and www.port-net.net.
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Press Release from Port-Net opening conference, 17.06.2005
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