An extraordinary year for Haropa
Since its merger in 2021, France’s Haropa Port has now reached the "critical size" in Europe's Northern Range as well, as Laurent Foloppe, Olivier Ferrand and Cédric Virciglio described it at the virtual media conference on 28 January. The merger went along with a strong recovery in almost all activities: the growth rate in maritime traffic amounted to 12% and generated a total throughput of 83.6 million t.
Due to a surge of 28%, container traffic passed the threshold of three million teu for the very first time (3.1 million teu). Liquid bulk also flourished, rising by 6% to 39 million t, and ro-ro gained 14% (294,000 vehicles).
This success in the maritime business was achieved despite the "economically disturbed context", yet backed up by an overall 7% growth rate in France in 2021. Only dry bulk lost by 4% (at 14 million t) compared to year before, while grain could not maintain the extraordinary level of 2020, landing at 7.6 million t (-13%).
Ferrand and Virciglio pointed out that the port complex is reacting to the positive trend in traffic with an exceptional level of investment of EUR 256 million in the current year, of which a rising share is allocated to the energy transition.
Furthermore, a number of the port’s industrial and logistics customers entered bids in response to calls for proposals issued by the three ports, and in 2022, there is more to come: in Le Havre, the multi bulk terminal, logistics parks PLPN 1/PLPN 2 and the Grand Canal site; in Rouen, RVSL Upstream (Rouen Vallée de Seine Logistique / Rouen Seine Valley Logistics Park); development of plots at Gennevilliers (7,000 sqm and Bonneuil (27,000 sqm).
In 2021, investment by actors in the private-sector progressed by over EUR 50 million (EUR 350 million vs. EUR 246 million in 2020), and will rise further to EUR 550 million in 2022. (cd)