CEVA Logistics Opens Marseille HQ
On the occasion of his visit to Marseille for the National Industry Council, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe came to inaugurate the new global headquarters of CEVA Logistics, a subsidiary of the CMA CGM Group, with Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group.The Prime Minister was accompanied by Elisabeth Borne, Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, the President of the South Region, Renaud Muselier, and Nicolas Sartini, Chief Executive Officer of CEVA Logistics.With the acquisition of CEVA Logistics in May 2019…
France Battles Slick from Capsized Boxship
French authorities battled on Thursday to contain an oil slick after the Italian Grande America ship capsized in the Atlantic this week.The Grimaldi Lines container ship capsized and sank on Tuesday, after catching fire while sailing from Hamburg to Casablanca. Britain's Royal Navy frigate Argyll rescued all 27 crew members from the water.The ship was carrying 2,200 tonnes of heavy fuel when it sank some 330 km (200 miles) off the coast from La Rochelle in western France. Footage…
France Says Italy Flouting International Law on Migrant Ship
France's prime minister accused Italy on Tuesday of not meeting its international obligations after refusing to take in more than 600 migrants stranded aboard the rescue ship Aquarius."Italy, the Italian government, has chosen to not respect its international obligations terms of security for the people," Edouard Philippe told lawmakers. "This episode shows that there is no hope in the short-term for a national solution to this problem. There can only be a European response."Philippe said no European country had done more than France to try to stabilise the migrant crisis through its military operations in the Sahel region and its efforts to find a political solution to the conflict in Libya.Reporting by John Irish
France to Boost LNG Usage in Shipping
France will modify regulations on the natural gas to allow liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering to take place at ports, Reuters reported quoting Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. He said the country will consider changing fiscal rules on amortising investments in new ships or engine technology. “We have to use this (energy) transition to differentiate ourselves on the market - in transport and in port services,” he said. The report said that LNG has been promoted as an alternative to fuel oil for a shipping sector facing tougher emissions standards from 2020, and French-based container shipping giant CMA CGM said this month it would be the first to use LNG to power giant container ships.
Fate of Seine-Nord Canal Project Depends on Funding
A project to build a canal to link Paris with major harbours of northern Europe will depend on lining up the necessary funds, the French government said on Wednesday, without saying if it believed the finance could be found. France has long planned to build the waterway dubbed the Seine-Nord canal to allow large barges to sail from Paris to the harbours of Antwerp and Rotterdam, reducing truck traffic on its motorways. The project has been studied for more than a decade and funding options for the 4.5 billion euro ($5.3 billion) programme have been discussed with regional governments and the European Union. The previous government had set up a project company with a view to start work on the 107 kilometre canal in 2017 and have it ready by 2023.
