Le Havre plans to raise capacity to 6 million TEU by 2020

THE French the Port of Le Havre plans to double container capacity to six million TEU a year by 2020 and to increase market share nine per cent in the North-European range by 2016.

By comparison, from January-June 2009 container cargo amounted to 10.8 million tonnes, against 11.9 million tonnes for the corresponding period in 2008. Le Havre port terminals handled a total of 1.1 million TEU in the first half of the year, representing a year-on-year decrease of eight per cent.

In the first six months of the year, the port's overall traffic amounted to 38.2 million tonnes, a decrease of 1.7 per cent compared to the first half of last year.

In order for the port to achieve its ambitious goals, port authorities intend to upgrade turnarounds and complete Port 2000 to provide a state-of-the-art reception capacity for six million TEU in 2015.

Port authorities also aim to increase the proportion of consolidated rail, waterway and coastal shipping transport in order to extend Le Havre's hinterland. The objective is for 25 per cent of port traffic to be carried by consolidated modes in 2020, according to a statement released by the Grand Port Maritime du Havre's (GPMH) Shanghai Representative Office.

"It plans to set up an industrial 'massifying' system, through stages and partnership, making it possible to group together rail and river flows bound for the terminals. The multimodal yard, whose coming-on-stream of the first phase should take place by 2012, is a significant part of it," the release said.

In order to develop consolidated service modes, the Motteville-Monterollier-Buchy line was reactivated in 2008, after three years of work to modernise and electrify a 36-kilometre section of track. The reopening of the line enables freight trains coming from the Port of Le Havre to reach eastern France and Germany without passing through the Paris region, and to travel north towards the Benelux countries without interrupting haulage. The capacity of this line is about 30 freight trains per day.

Furthermore, a cooperation agreement has been signed between Le Havre port and Duisburg port to encourage transport connections and to intensify intermodal exchanges between the two ports in 2008.

The "Atlantica" project jointly launched by France and Spain, which in particular involves the development of a maritime connection between Le Havre Port and the Iberian peninsula (Vigo and Algeciras), is expected to come into service by 2010 and offer up to three return services per week.

The release added that overall, investments planned by GPMH for the period 2009 to 2013 are said to amount to nearly EUR700 million (US$1.02 billion).

(Source: www.schednet.com)