Haropa stayed on target in 2023
In Paris, close to the Seine, Haropa Port's deputy general director Kris Danaradjou and its strategic planning director Cédric Virciglio presented the developments in 2023 and gave an outlook on the running year. "We took a unique step to create one port on three sites in 2021," said Danaradjou, referring to the group’s general strategy at the beginning of his representation.
The conglomerate proved some resilience last year, since despite the crises in China, contraction of domestic demand all over Europe and demonstrations in France at the beginning of 2023, the impact on the throughput was limited to a loss of 4.5%. In total, 81.3 million t of goods, amongst them 2.63 million teu, were handled in 2023. Transhipments decreased significantly by 31%. Yet, Haropa Port's turnover grew by 9.8% to EUR 416 million.
In Le Havre, two new berths entered operations to deal with the higher volumes on the horizon. "After Antwerp, Le Havre will be MSC’s second hub in Europe," said Virciglio. New berths are planned in order to be able to handle the 4.5 million teu to be expected from several carriers. Virciglio stressed the fact that Le Havre is the fourth port in Europe in terms of tonnage.
Traffic on the Seine increased last year. On the "green corridor", about 130,000 teu were transported by barges in 2023, which is the best result so far. Inland navigation is also developing the sector of last mile transport, e.g. for building materials for such prestigious projects like the rebuilding of Notre Dame. The railway network now covers 21 destinations and offers 100 services.
The latest new offering was established with Hapag-LLoyd in order to service the Ports of Paris. Intermodal traffic remains a priority. "We do have three to four more rail services in the pipeline to be introduced in 2024," said Danaradjou, and added: "We need this mix of solutions."
Investments of about EUR 588 million are planned for 2024, amongst them about 21% of the public sector. A good share is to be invested in the Seine axis to further decarbonisation. Alternative fuels are a major issue: Engie is to develop France’s largest facility for the industrial-scale production of renewable, low-carbon fuels.
This dual project comprises the plants of Salamandre (biomethane) and Kereauzen (e-kerosene and hydrogen). The two facilities will produce over 80,000 t of decarbonised fuels for the maritime and aviation sectors.
Altogether, 2024 is going to be "a very, very special year for Haropa Port due to the Olympic and Paralympic Games," said Virciglio. He underlined that one of the consequences will be "the acceleration of the greening process of all transports in the Haropa network."(cd)