angalis mep 2009 - Le Cluster Maritime Français

ports
25
le cluster maritime français
With total traffic through metropolitan ports of 383.4 MT (excluding bunkering and provisioning), the figures for
2008 confirmed the slowdown in activity after a period of steady growth between 2002 and 2006 (average annual
growth of +3%). Trade was steady compared with 2007, leaving scope for improvement in relation to the European
competition which was more buoyant overall.
Port authorities
Port trades
Total
* Source : UPF - ** Grand Port Maritime
In July 2008 the French government passed a law to reform the ‘autonomous’ ports (ports operated as commercial and
industrial state-run bodies, now to be known as “Grands Ports Maritimes”) with the aim of making France’s main ports
more competitive in the short term against European ports. It requires the Large Seaports (GPM) to refocus the public
service mission of ports on managing and developing infrastructure .
The commercial sea ports, which handle more than 85% by volume and 66% by value of France's external trade by sea
(41% and 20% respectively of total external trade), are broken down as follows:
• 11 ports are operated by the State: 7 GPM in Metropolitan France, 1 autonomous port and 3 ports placed under chambers
of commerce and industry in the Overseas Departments (DOM).
• 2 autonomous ports in the Overseas Territories (TOM).
• around forty ports under regional administrations (some since 1983, others since 2007), which are in general under
the authority of chambers of commerce. These ports handle 76.4 MT of goods, more than 80% of the passenger traffic
and more than 215,000 tonnes of fish products.
The public authorities administering these ports are federated within the UPF (Union des Ports de France – see box) which
represents them at national and European level.
UPF
L'Union des Ports de France (UPF) is the professional federation of French ports.
Its members comprise the administering bodies of 45 French commercial ports and fishing ports situated in Metropolitan
France and the overseas departments and territories: large seaports, autonomous ports, ports run by chambers
of commerce and industry and those run by public-private partnerships.
The purpose of the Association is to look after the interests of the French port establishments; it is the main representative
of the public authorities and professional groupings of the maritime and port world and represents French
ports in the European Sea Port Association (ESPO).
The advantages of French ports:
An excellent interconnecting network links the large ports of Metropolitan France to the major road, motorway and rail routes
and to the principal navigable rivers and canals.
A strategic geographical position for handling the production and distribution of goods destined for Europe:
• Facing the Channel and North Sea, Le Havre, Calais and Dunkirk are the first large European ports of call for imports.
• Facing the Atlantic, the ports of Nantes - Saint-Nazaire, La Rochelle and Bordeaux are the ports of entry for the large international
flows destined for the East, North and South of Europe.
• In the Mediterranean, Marseille-Fos: the largest port in France and the Mediterranean, situated at an important intersection
of trade routes.
• The ports of the overseas departments in the Indian Ocean and Caribbean are ports of entry to the EU.
fact
Turnover *
More than 1 billion
euros (around 625
million for the GPM**,
and more than 250 for
decentralised ports)
3.5 billion euros
4,5 billion euros
Direct jobs in ports*
State operated
services:
3500
Port establishments:
6500
30 000
40 000
A merchant ship calls at a French port every six minutes.
Goods traffic 2008
383.4 million tonnes,
307 of which for the
GPM.
More than 12.2 for
DOM ports
Passenger traffic
2008
27.8 million passengers,
17.8 of which in the
Channel and North
Sea and 10 in the
Mediterranean.
CMF member - www.port.fr