Swissterminal reported that it was awarded the tender to operate the French inland ports Ottmarsheim, Huningue-Village-Neuf and Ile Napoléon.
Given this, the Swiss-based logistics operator formed the subsidiary company Alsaceteam, in conjunction with the ports of Le Havre and Marseille-Fos , taking 39% of the shares of Euro Rhine Ports, successor to the former public port company Ports de Mulhouse Rhin.
Euro Rhine Ports is the new concessionaire for the ports of Ottmarsheim, Huningue-Village-Neuf and Ile Napoléon.
The majority shareholder of Euro Rhine Ports is the Syndicat Mixte des Ports du Sud-Alsace, which is made up of five public partners: Grand-Est region, Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération (M2A), Saint-Louis Agglomération (SLA), Voies Navigables France ( VNF) and Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie (CCI).
The operator of three ports is Alsaceterminal, also owned by Swissterminal, which aims to improve rail connections with the rest of Europe and especially with the ports of Le Havre and Marseille-Fos.
At the same time, inland shipping to the larger North Range ports of Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Antwerp (Belgium) will be strengthened.
Ottmarsheim, located on the River Rhine 15 kilometers northeast of Mulhouse, is the largest of the three ports and has more than 132 hectares. The annual capacity of this trimodal container terminal (rail, barge and truck) with a direct rail connection is currently approximately 200,000 TEU, but it can be expanded according to market requirements.
In addition to direct shipping to Rotterdam and Antwerp, the port will benefit from direct rail connections to Le Havre and Marseille, as well as links via Birsfelden (Switzerland) to Genoa (Italy) and China.
The current bulk cargo port at Huningue-Village-Neuf will become a trimodal transshipment hub (rail, barge, truck) for container traffic with Switzerland in 2025.
In the first construction phase, 240 meters of dock length and more than 2 hectares of container yard will be added. Another 160 meters of dock length and an additional 1.5 hectares of container space are planned. The goal is to achieve an annual capacity of more than 100,000 TEUs.
The third port site in the Ile Napoléon industrial zone is located just outside the city limits of Mulhouse on the Rhine-Rhône canal. It will continue to serve for the handling of conventional cargo of bulk products and fuels.
Source: Portal Portuário
