Dunkirk: Multi-capabilities platform securing the world port’s logistics

Dunkirk is the third largest port in France, which locates close to the city of Lille and in the center of the triangle formed by Brussels, London and Paris. It is the ideal platform for mass transport and the breakdown of goods for distribution to Europe. This time shippingchina.com has the honor to take the interview to Mr. Daniel Deschodt, Commercial Director of Port of Dunkirk, to see how this European port taking care of the world port’s logistics.

J: Welcome to DIALOGUE. Since long time, the comment “Dunkirk, a port in the widest sense” is popular in the world port world. Could you please make an introduction about the “widest sense”?

Mr. Daniel Deschodt: As the multi-purpose port handling the equivalent of 57,000,000 tons of cargo per year, we handle many different products. For the steel industry we are the 1st port in France for ore and coal import with great amount from Brazil, Australia and Africa. We import 316,000 tons of copper from Chile every year. We also deal with pipes, woods, manufactured goods. The 2007 “minor” dry bulks traffic totaled 3, 150, 000 tons for a wide variety of imported or exported products such as coke, iron alloys, slag, soda, clinker, lime, sintered ore, animal foodstuffs…

We have various terminals to fulfill the importation and exportation in the “widest sense”. The multi-bulk terminals, grain terminals, steel terminals and we involved in the worldly long traffic, which is very long traffic out of Dunkirk and Dover. It is only four years ago that we went involved in bulk works, extending the container terminal. Now we have container terminals that stretch out on 44 hectares, which there are 1280 meters of quay. We provide a draft of 17,000 meters terminal as one of the deepest container terminals in Northern Europe.

Besides, the logistics site also contributes its complexity to the products logistics. The 470 acres “Dunkirk logistics International” Park, with rail transshipment facilities can accommodate large warehouses, which complete the Dunkirk offer, such as: sub-zero temperature warehouse, fruit & vegetable warehouse, equipment and mineral water, tinned food.

J: Thanks for the detailed explanation and the “widest sense” does sense a lot to the world transportation. So with such an amount and diversity in your port, is there any great plan for the future development?

Mr. Daniel Deschodt: In short items, we have a project to build that is the building of the liquid natural gas terminal in Dunkirk. It should be in operation in 2011, which is a very important investment for French. Given the scale of the investment of €770,000,000, the port of Dunkirk Authority has invested €15,000,000 and by 2011 we will be able to handle the equivalent of 6,000,000 of tons of liquid natural gas.

We also have another project. Because we have enormous amount of land available in Dunkirk, the port of Dunkirk consult in 7,000 hectares of which 3,000 hectares are still waiting for the development. So we expect in the next few years we could provide new bases to attract more cargos and attract more customers, shipping lines, and warehousing of Dunkirk.

J: From that you have mentioned I can see the glorious development carrying on your port. For every port, the glorious condition origins from the special character obtaining by the port. So would you show us your port’s character?

Mr. Daniel Deschodt: We are mature as senior man and dynamic as young person, and especially we are conflict-remover who can secure the transportation for the port. We obtain a lot of experience as the industrial port; we have a lot of experience resulted in the solid industrial base and chemical products which are the bases of these activities. And we are also innovative as young person with the enormous place to grow, to develop. Here leaves us some space to go on the container business and warehousing.

On the port securing part, from 1992 to 2008, we have never suffered from a single day of strike from docks, which are not only an exception of French port but also the exception of all Europe. So on the Shipping lines, we can secure the importers and exporters, and we give them the guarantee, that the cargo will not be held in Dunkirk by strikes of dockers. Thanks to the local unions who are doing something upon the conflicts. They form their own cooperation way and we have strong communication with the labor between the dockers and the operator on the port the whole social reliability in Dunkirk is the talk between the labor and the dock. But the strike is not the effective way to solve the conflicts, which is well accepted by the dockers.

J: The port of Dunkirk is one key station in Chinese logistics routine. So will you introduce the working carrying condition in China now?

Mr. Daniel Deschodt: Getting contact with Chinese marketing becomes more and more important. We have an office here in Shanghai to meet the Chinese importers and exporters. And they try to persuade them to ship the goods from Dunkirk. Almost all investors to Dunkirk are non-French. We have been in China with 10 years and companies have grown up completely.

Journalist: Betty Chen