return from a weekly maritime connection with Morocco

There were a lot of people this Monday at the commercial port of Port-Vendres to welcome the “CMA CGM Tangier”. The boat was making its first stopover in the Pyrénées-Orientales, with around sixty containers to unload. It has been three years since a company boat stopped in this port. “This link is historic. It has existed for more than 15 years. But it had been stopped at the time of the health crisis, then competing with the road. When the price of fuel drops, it is sometimes more interesting to use trucks. Now it’s the other way around.”explains Cyril Hervieu, Port Director.

An increase in freight traffic

The return of the CMA-CGM company also symbolizes the positive momentum experienced by the site. “We are on an upward trend. Last year, we achieved the third historic tonnage with 303,500 tonnes of foodstuffs that passed through here. We hope to have the second best year in 2022 with nearly 310,000 tonnes”adds Cyril Hervieu.

According to him, the port has many assets. Already, it benefits from its proximity to Saint-Charles. “There is also the fact that for example for the CMA-CGM boat there is no waiting. The ship arrives and it is immediately unloaded. Second important point, we have no employment problem . And third, we have attractive prices.”

The port also intends to bet on the environmental aspect. Marine traffic reduces the number of trucks on the roads. “With this Agadir-Port-Vendres link, we reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75%, explains Hermeline Malherbe, president of the department. This is the equivalent of 100 trucks that will no longer cross Spain to reach Saint-Charles. Knowing that today, customer demand wants more ecology. So there is ambition.” _

Projects for the port

Moreover, the department that owns the port and the managing CCI have ambitions for this site. They want to install power at the shore so that the boats no longer have to run the engines when they are stationary. They also want to expand the storage area by 12,000m². As for the 3rd wharf project, it is still relevant.