What is a dryport?
- A dryport is a hinterland intermodal freight transport hub. With effective planning and careful choice of location, dryports can significantly increase the capacity and efficiency of existing sea ports and provide them with vital support, while shifting traffic off the roads and on to rail or inland waterway wherever possible.
- A dryport provides valuable space for logistics and onward distribution activities. Many sea ports have little room left to expand or they are adjacent to sensitive areas (such as biodiversity sites or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty), so land available and suitable for port / logistics activities is limited.
- The development of a dryport or combination of dryports helps local infrastructure to cope with increased demand as ports handle growing volumes of cargo.
The Dryport project
- Dryport is a four-year public/private sector European project (commencing in 2008) with core partners drawn from the ports and logistics sector and from local authorities representing important logistics areas.
- The total funding for Dryport is €4,870,750. Of this, 50% is directly from European funding and 50% is contributed by match funding from partners.
The region of Västra Götaland, in Sweden, is the lead partner in Dryport. As well as the Haven Gateway and Babergh District Council, other core partners are: the Port of Gothenburg, Sweden; Falköping Kommun, Sweden; the Port of Zeebrugge, Belgium; the Edinburgh Gateway, Gemeente Emmen, the Netherlands; and the Province of Friesland, the Netherlands. More recently University of Bremen (Institute of Labour and Economy - IAW) has joined the project representing the port of Bremen / Bremerhaven. This brings together partners spanning 5 North Sea Region European countries.
Why Dryport benefits the Haven Gateway
- Within the Dryport project, the Haven Gateway and Babergh will be exploring the potential for and value of suitable dryport sites and facilities. Road and rail links are being discussed, along with the possibility of setting up innovative short shuttle rail services to and from the port facilities.
- As well as helping port capacity, Dryport will look at better planning to reduce the number of trucks on the roads. The Haven Gateway and Babergh believe that careful planning of logistics sites can promote "greener" transport solutions.
- The project "Dryport - a modal shift in practice" has important implications for Felixstowe and the rest of the Haven Gateway's ports, shipping, transport and logistics sector.
Project Manager: Dirk Harmsen, Vastra Gotalansregionen, Dryport, Box 1091, SE-405 23 Gothenburg, Sweden
T: 0046 317044918 | M: 0046 705144977 | E: info@dryport.org | W: www.dryport.org
Babergh DC Contact: Rich Cooke (Planning Policy Manager)
T: 00 44 1473 825775 | Email Rich: rich.cooke@babergh.gov.uk
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