River Seine News

By now, it is a well-known fact that the marine industry contributes significantly to the greenhouse gasses causing climate change—and the impact is predicted to rise as the demand for shipping by sea increases. Action is needed now, and the majority of ship operators are adopting or planning zero-emission solutions to accommodate upcoming emission reduction targets.A key zero-emission technology that will be a critical enabler for decarbonizing the marine industry—now and in the future—is hydrogen fuel cells.Today…

The past decade has seen tight restrictions on emissions from vessels, notably with a 2015 move to a .10% sulfur maximum in Emission Control Areas (ECA) in North America and in northern Europe. As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) now shapes shipping’s decarbonization future, shipowners are looking at transitions away from fossil fuels. Among the myriad of alternatives are lithium ion batteries and some early forays into hydrogen fuel cells.To date, large batteries are used on short runs…

Dutch shipbuilding group Damen reports it has delivered two RSD Tugs 2513 to France-based Thomas Services Maritimes (TSM) for operations on the River Seine in the port between the Ports of Rouen and Honfleur (HAROPA – Port de Rouen).Like Damen, TSM is a family-owned company, something which played a part in Damen’s securing of the order, according to TSM CEO, Loïc Thomas: “We were looking for new tugs with the latest in vessel technology and we heard about Damen’s quality and reliability.

The leading Port Community System operator in France SOGET appointed Hervé Cornède as the Executive Director of the company. Hervé Cornède was appointed as the Commercial Director of the port of Le Havre in September 2009 and then Commercial and Marketing Director for HAROPA, when the EIG (Economic interest group) was created on January 1st, 2013. He worked for the first-rank positioning of the shipping offering of HAROPA ports, for the development of their terminals and the attractiveness of their logistics zones, thus allowing the ports of the river Seine to pass the historic mark of the 3 million TEU. Hervé Cornède placed its action in the momentum of Le Havre…

France is an attractive investment location for DP World’s projects related to infrastructure development, port centric development, distribution and export hubs, rail freight, customs, and other logistics topics, said DP World Group Chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. He has recently met the President of France, Francois Hollande and senior government and business leaders at a major investment summit at the Élysée Palace in Paris. Bin Sulayem outlined DP World's contribution to global trade, investment opportunities in France and the potential for further collaboration in the trade, transport and logistics sector. He said: "France is an important partner in DP World's European operations.

DP World Group Chairman and CEO HE Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem recently met the President of France, Francois Hollande and senior government and business leaders at a major investment summit at the Élysée Palace in Paris. France’s attractiveness as an investment location and DP World’s projects in the country were highlights of the discussions which also covered infrastructure development, port centric development, distribution and export hubs, rail freight, customs, and other logistics topics. HE Bin Sulayem outlined DP World’s contribution to global trade, investment opportunities in France and the potential for further collaboration in the trade, transport and logistics sector.

River cruise operator Viking Cruises is taking full advantage of an annual deck maintenance program offered by the Dutch company Bolidt Synthetic Products & Systems. A total of 32 vessels – more than half of the Viking Cruises fleet – will have their decking cleaned and renewed at various European ports this winter, with 18 vessels being refurbished in Cologne. Nine more will be refurbished in Vienna, while the remaining five river cruisers will have work carried out in the French ports of Bordeaux and Rouen, or Mainz and Duisburg in Germany, depending on their cruising itineraries.

From 14 to 18 June, HAROPA, world top port for wine and spirits, will be an official partner for Vinexpo 2015, a major and inescapable event in the wine and spirit sector. For its first participation in Vinexpo, HAROPA - the alliance of the ports of Paris, Rouen and Le Havre - will be present at the heart of the new “expert exclusive” zone dedicated to the logistics of wine, beside three partners: customs, Soget and Hillebrand, the world leading forwarder for wine and spirits. Since 1981, Vinexpo has asserted itself as an international reference for the promotion of wine and spirits. This year, about 50,000 professional buyers coming from 120 countries are expected to attend; they will be welcomed by 2,400 exhibitors spreading out on 40,000m2.

Odfjell Terminals Europe and Grand Port Maritime du Havre (GPMH) have today signed a Site Reservation Protocol for a plot of land in the Port of Le Havre to develop a bulk liquid terminal. The planned terminal will be located inside the Port of Le Havre along the Grand Canal Maritime and the plot is approximately 31.5 hectares. The first phase will consist of at least 150,000 cbm for storage of petrochemical and petroleum-related products. Construction is currently expected to start in 2015 and the terminal is foreseen to open in 2nd half 2017. The total investment for the first phase is estimated to be about €150-200 million. HAROPA – Port of Le Havre is one of Europe’s largest ports, strategically located by the entrance to River Seine.

The Grand Port Maritime du Havre and partners officially launched the RORO MAX project on June 10th. This cooperative quality progress approach aims at increasing the competitiveness and development of the trades at the Ro-Ro terminal. An ambition: making Le Havre the reference port for automotive trades. This initiative is the fruit of a synergy between Stevedores, logisticians, yard operators, laboratories and engineering schools. "In Le Havre, we have federated all actors around this project with a three-fold objective: developing trades in order to reach 500,000 new vehicles in 2015, being recognized as a reference port in Europe, developing services and added value to attract new customers," Laurent Castaing, Chairman of the GPMH Management Board, stated.