A find out about performed from 2018 to 2022 at the ports of Le Havre, Marseille and Dunkirk highlights their efficiency in comparison to 49 main Ecu ports. If they’re appearing signs beneath their competition – fee of ships compelled to anchor, moderate name length or moderate dealing with fee – their development may be very actual.
Port efficiency is on the middle of the rustic’s financial and logistical competitiveness. Within the context of globalized provide chains, the fluidity of port passage is a decisive consider attracting shipowners, a couple of of whom regulate virtually all shipping capability and container site visitors.
Regardless of indeniable investments and geographical benefits, French ports are beneath their major Ecu competition.
That is proven through our find out about carried out from 2018 to 2022. The use of Computerized Id Device (AIS) information and S&P International’s Port Efficiency Platform, we when compared the efficiency of France’s 3 major container ports – Haropa-Le Havre (Seine-Maritime), Marseille-Fos (Bouches-du-Rhone) and Dunkerque (Nord) – with the efficiency of 49 Ecu ports dealing with greater than 500 to 000 equivalents, a unit of measure for maritime shipping, in 2022.
Mapping Ecu ports through container site visitors in 2022 Eurostat, port government and Ronan Kerbiriou, Writer equipped (no reuse) Expansion of Avre, Marseille and Dunkirk
3 French ports studied the contrasting profiles provide.
Haropa-Le Havre, the main nationwide container port, has a turnover of three.01 million twenty-foot an identical gadgets (TEU) in 2022. That could be a expansion of five% in comparison to 2018. Marseille-Fos, the second one, reaches 1.5 million TEU with a expansion of 8%. Dunkerque, lengthy excited about bulk shipment, is experiencing an actual step forward with 745,000 TEUs, an building up of 76% over the length.
This development is defined through the strengthening of the hyperlinks controlled through CMA CGM, a significant participant within the French flag. In Dunkirk, the corporate accounts for nearly 3 quarters of container send calls. The Northern Port now incorporates very massive capability gadgets of greater than 18,000 TEU, illustrating its transfer up the most important transport traces.
Little site visitors for get admission to to the ocean for ships
French ports stand out definitely for his or her maritime accessibility.
In 2022, on moderate in Europe, a 3rd of ships needed to anchor prior to docking. In Marseille, this determine was once best 4%. In Avre, 24% of ships had been ready in port, a determine this is expanding however nonetheless on the subject of the regional moderate, and in Dunkirk it was once 16%. The latter additionally sticks out for its moderate ready time of simply 8.2 hours in comparison to the 25 hour moderate in Europe.
Those figures mirror maritime fluidity and occasional congestion. This can be a power in a context the place many Ecu ports ceaselessly revel in congestion and the place ready way misplaced cash for shipowners of normal container traces.

Charge of berthing of ships (spending no less than fifteen mins within the anchorage house) in 2022 S&P International Marketplace Intelligence, Supplied through the creator Charge of 35 bins consistent with hour
The opposite facet of the coin seems at the dock. The typical duration of stopover stays upper in France than in the remainder of Europe.
In Avro, it exceeds the common of its competition within the English Channel and the North Sea through six hours. In Marseille and Dunkirk, the periods are nearer to these seen of their geographical spaces, however don’t exceed them.
Some of the major components in the back of this extend is dealing with productiveness. On moderate, French ports care for fewer bins consistent with hour consistent with crane. In Marseille-Fos, productiveness reaches best 35 bins consistent with hour, in comparison to greater than 55 on moderate in Europe. This weak point is because of the lowered selection of lifting apparatus to be had: 1.5 cranes on moderate consistent with forestall, in comparison to 2.2 in Europe.

Moderate selection of bins treated consistent with send consistent with hour in 2022 S&P International Marketplace Intelligence, equipped through the creator
We will be able to additionally notice that French ports nonetheless play a restricted position in transshipment, the shipping of bins to intermediate locations. In Havre (50.8 bins consistent with hour) and Dunkirk (45.6), the location is best, however it’s nonetheless beneath the English Channel and North Sea ports, the place the common is 61.8.
Low dealing with charges
With the exception of velocity, the connection between the selection of bins in truth treated and the theoretical capability of ships highlights some other structural weak point. The typical dealing with fee is 44.4% in Europe, however best 28% in Avro, 30% in Dunkirk and 33% in Marseille. 3 French ports have moderate charges a few of the lowest of the ports studied.
In different phrases, for a similar container send with a theoretical shipping capability of 20,000 TEU, 5,600 TEU will probably be loaded and unloaded in Le Havre in comparison to 11,000 TEU in Antwerp. This distinction illustrates the intermediate position that French ports occupy within the itineraries of main transport corporations: their stops there are shorter and not more busy.

Moderate container send transhipment fee in 2022. Port government, Eurostat and IHS marketplace. Ronan Kerbiriu and Arnaud Seri.
Within the present context and within the methods of huge transport corporations, positive stops are much less essential. In case of reorganization of transport traces, send homeowners would possibly make a decision to take away positive ports from their services and products and be aware of a smaller selection of ports, empty crusing.
As maritime services and products refocus on fewer calls, ports with low dealing with charges are perhaps to be a skipped name. Then again, it must be famous that for the ports of Marseille and Dunkirk, transshipment charges were often expanding since 2018 through 7 and 13 proportion issues, respectively.
Haropa in an establishment
The competitiveness of the port isn’t restricted to technical efficiency. It additionally depends upon the standard of land connections, terminal operations, social discussion and the capability to provide built-in logistics services and products.
French ports nonetheless be afflicted by institutional fragmentation and every now and then complicated control, whilst their competition within the north have controlled to rationalize and industrialize their processes. The transformation of Harrop right into a unmarried establishment in 2021 is a step in the best course, however the results will probably be felt in the long run.
In opposition to a countrywide restoration technique?
Regardless of their connections on main world routes, French ports underperform their major Ecu competition. Confronted with the dominance of Antwerp, Rotterdam or Hamburg, there may be room for maneuver. The problem isn’t to compete on dimension, however on potency and reliability. Lowering forestall instances, bettering terminal productiveness and streamlining rail and river services and products are priorities.
French ports have property: vital land reserves, strategic geographical place between the Mediterranean and the English Channel, usually environment friendly maritime accessibility, and so forth. On the identical time, a number of Ecu ports are experiencing episodes of congestion and the presence of an international shipowner, CMA CGM, or perhaps a vital funding through MSC in Le Havre.
With the intention to change into those property right into a sustainable aggressive benefit, it is going to be essential to proceed to modernize and coordinate logistics. As a result of in an international the place each hour of transit issues, port competitiveness turns into a key indicator of financial sovereignty.