“We’ve decided that although competition is useful, co-operation is necessary,” says Ilsa Hoet, head of the Port and Water Policy Division of the Flemish Minsitry of Works.

United under the banner of the Flanders Port Area and the promotional line ‘Europe is our hinterland’, the ports no longer promote themselves as individuals, but as an alliance. “Promotion of individual ports is confusing to potential clients,” she says. “We have worked together to draw up a code of conduct for us as competitors and clients as well, and we have sent combined trade delegations around the world as a result.”

Promotion of port activity turns inland as well, focusing on the man in the street, and recognising the responsibility to take surrounding communities forward with them. “We have made sure that we emphasise ourselves as ‘motors’ for the economy and its general welfare, which is an important message,” she says.

The next stage of the promotional activity was the launch, due in October this year, of a web-based resource detailing all of the short sea services to and from the Flemish ports.

As all of this was being explained to delegates at the Short Sea 2009 Conference in Bruges at the beginning of October the port alliance was anxiously waiting for publication of a government policy paper. “We want to carry on, encouraging more co-modality and simplification, but we got a new government in June, and we are waiting to see what’s in its policy paper,” she added.

Further information: www.flandersportarea.be.