Port of Klaipėda Joined the International Port – Net Project

During the period of 7-10 June 2005 representative of SE Klaipėda State Seaport Authority Ms. Lina Gudelionytė – Gilienė, the Head of the Marketing Unit, took part in the opening conference of  Port – Net project in Hamburg.

                      Budget of Klaipėda State Seaport Authority in the Port – Net Project makes 48 thous. EUR, and 12 thous. EUR Port Authority will contribute as its share by participating and working on the Project, the remaining 36 thous. EUR would be the contribution of European Fund for Regional Development.

                      This sum will be spent for the trips of the specialists of Klaipėda port to the ports partners, where they will be have the opportunity to exchange their knowledge and experience in the matter.

                      The congresses of the coordinators of Port Net Project are to be held every half of the year and the coming meeting is planned to be arranged in Klaipėda. The coordinator of this Project in Lithuania is Ms. Lina Gudelionytė – Gilienė, the Head of the Marketing Unit of SE Klaipėda State Seaport Authority.

                      It is foreseen to held a conference on the ‘‘Tendencies of the Passenger Flows in EU“ during the Ist quarter of the year 2006 and also the conference on International Passengers and Cruise Shipping in the II nd quarter of the year 2007.

                      Port Net, EU – Interreg III C Project comprises of 20 partners from 12 countries of Europe, Russia, and its formal commencement was during the four –day conference in Hamburg, where actual transport issues, concerned with EU policy, have been discussed.

                      35 members pointed out common problems and agreed that improved partnership and common efforts would add to the more effective and more favourable policy in transport sector.

                      Main topics of the conference were EU transport policy, Directive on the services of the port and urbanite integration of the territories of former ports.                    

All the members agreed to the statement of Dr. Matthias Ross, who represented the main partner of Port Net the city of Hamburg, that as far as the increase of transport flows is very considerable, European ports are to play important role in the process of changing considerable part of transport means to more favourable ones. But it was also pointed out by Port Net that ports is only one unit of inter-modal transport chain and the improvement of inter-modal transport requires rehabilitation of all transport means concerned, e.g railways, shipping and inner waters transport as well. Even more attention is to be paid to the use of modern technologies, administrative procedures and creating of equal possibilities, which would lead to fair competitive conditions in the modern market.

                      Urbanite integration of former territories of the ports is the issue many Port Net partners face at present. Main and most important aspects of the future activities of Port Net is exchange of practical experience how to protect from the floods and how to solve conflicts of noise and also how to attract people and create better living conditions to them.

                      EU approved the Port Net Project in January 2005 and up to the year 2007 the amount of 1.7 million EUR is at its disposition. Its goal is to define and to conquer main challenges faced by the industry of main ports in Europe in order to create better operational structures, capabilities and to provide best possible regional integration of the ports. Working groups are going to be established as per this project, lectures will be delivered, excursions to the ports partners are going to be organized and also various studies are going to be performed.

                      In addition to Lithuania, following countries take part in the Project: Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Russia, the United Kingdom.