The port of Marseille-Fos reached June 30 with a cumulative volume of 38 million tonnes since January. Hervé Martel, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Grand Port Maritime, observes that certain sectors have made it possible to find a volume identical to that of the first half of 2021.
This is the case for miscellaneous goods which, at 11 Mt, increased by 1 Mt, i.e. 5% more compared to the first half of 2021.
In this segment, at 800,000 TEUs, the number of TEUs thus marked an increase of 5% compared to last year but above all by 7% compared to 2019, the pre-crisis period.
During this period of “pandemic, port congestion on the west coast of the United States, closure of the ports of Shanghai, blank sailings and omission of calls”, the general manager of the port establishment does not hesitate not to affirm that “Marseille-Fos, by providing a fluid service, has benefited from the crisis”. And to add that, unlike other ports in the western Mediterranean (Spain and Italy), “vessels rarely found themselves without windows” in the GPMM docks.
Miscellaneous goods on the rise
In this regard, he underlines the number of additional TEUs from which the Fos (Graveleau) and Marseille (Mourepiane) facilities have benefited during the six months under review in terms of national traffic but also of transhipment volume.
As for trailers, they grew by 4% compared to 2021. They marked a jump of 14% compared to the pre-crisis period, underlines the Marseille port manager.
Finally, he mentions the good performance of new cars (+ 35%) thanks to the arrival in the port of Marseille of Korean Kia traffic in March. A car manufacturer that the GPMM estimates at 30,000 more vehicles per year.
For liquid bulk, the Grand Port Maritime observed stable activity over the half-year. They amounted to 21 Mt, an identical volume to the first six months of 2021. With the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the price of fuel, this sector suffered from an 18% drop in refined oil. In contrast, LNG grew by 24% over the period.
Liquid bulk in “strong shrinkage”
On the other hand, the port manager cannot declare himself as optimistic concerning dry bulk. This segment, at nearly 6 Mt, recorded a decline of 8% compared to 2021. It is the one, according to him, the one showing “the strongest decline”.
The general manager mentions, without giving many details, the drop in coal volume and the consequences of the restructuring of Alteo, the alumina plant in Gardanne (Bouches-du-Rhône). The steel sector lost 11% of its volume in the basins of the port of Marseille-Fos during the first six months of the current year.
In terms of modal shift, Hervé Martel indicates that rail has proven to be more dynamic than river. He believes that if iron has gained more market share vis-à-vis the road than the waterway, it is to the dynamics of rail that this phenomenon owes it.
He mentions the enrichment of the links linking Marseille to the hinterland with that of CMA CGM to Duisbourg, the service of Naviland Cargo to Toulouse and that of Ferovergne to Châlon-sur-Saône. Another reason given by the chairman of the management board of the port of Marseille, the delay of maritime vessels in stopover would not favor in his eyes the pace imposed by river operators.