With MSC’s historic decision to invest in reinforcing the Seine logistics corridor, the HAROPA port, which began its transformation at the time of the merger in 2021, is now seeing the first significantly positive results. In 2023, France’s number one port plans to continue its investment and transformation, creating the country’s first decarbonized industrial ecosystem and completing the structural development of its multimodal logistics corridor.
“In 2022, the global economy was impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, combined with the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation, which has reached levels not seen for several decades. Despite this, HAROPA PORT has experienced a shift in scale and notable resistance to these headwinds in the context of strategic focuses approved by its Supervisory Board. These encouraging results, combined with the port’s strategy consolidation, make HAROPA PORT an effective project for local communities and a critical component of France’s international outreach and sovereignty. This encourages us to continue with the transformation of France’s number one port,” said Cédric Virciglio, Strategic Planning Director at HAROPA PORT.
The ecological and energy transition, as a major pillar of HAROPA PORT’s strategic project, accounts for 16% of the port’s investments in 2022 and will increase to 19 per cent in 2023. Notably, based on a number of calls for project proposals, the port is affirming its ambition to create a cutting-edge, decarbonised industrial cluster on the Seine Axis.
The three ports of Le Havre, Rouen, and Paris joined forces to create a logistics corridor capable of transporting goods from around the world into the heart of France’s largest consumer catchment area.
In 2022, maritime traffic was 85.1Mt, a 2 per cent increase due to an exceptional trading year for cereals and an increase in liquid bulk flows.
“Eighteen months after its creation and following a historic year in which the symbolic level of 3m TEU was surpassed, HAROPA PORT has consolidated its positioning. In addition to the remarkable resistance demonstrated by traffic levels, key milestones have been achieved, most notably MSC TiL’s announcement last July that they would invest €700 million over the period to 2028 to triple their container volume, making us a major port of entry for France and Europe and providing us with the means to develop river-based services to the Paris basin,” said Kris Danaradjou, HAROPA PORT Deputy General Manager.
