As the leading French port for container traffic, has undergone recent and considerable expansion to increase its cargo handling capacity, with some 60% of all containers in the country being managed from its port terminals. This expansion will see a rise in maritime transport, which will further impact on inland navigation. With expectations of significantly increased brown water transport in the near future, has established an inland navigation program to enlarge the entire canal link between and the north of . This project will allow a connection for high capacity barges from and the Benelux to . Techmar has appointed Lieven Merckx, an experienced surveyor from its office to manage the operation. A licensed officer engineer, Lieven trained at the nautical high school in .