Successful feasibility test on French waterways
A feasibility test for intermodal cement transport was recently conducted by the company Eqiom. Starting from its production site near Rouen (France), the loads were transported to customers in Ile-de-France via the multimodal platform of Gennevilliers. The aim of this test was to find an alternative to the road for the weekly delivery of up to 25 bulk cement containers, taking advantage of a regular river transport shuttle from Le Havre to Gennevilliers.
This barge shuttle is operated by Greenmodal Transport, part of the GCA Combined Transport Operator Branch. Faced with road congestion in the Paris region and the objective of reducing its carbon footprint, the shipper Eqiom plans to diversify its supply chain by transferring some of its deliveries made by road to inland waterways.
Currently, the shipper estimates an annual modal shift potential of 35,500 t of cement, the equivalent of about 1,800 trucks - and nearly 150 t of CO2 saved. River transport of cement by container was carried out between the two Haropa ports Rouen and Gennevilliers, and deliveries on the first and last mile were performed on the road via two subsidiaries of GCA, Oissel Trans and Girault Lor. (fd)