January 26 - Haropa, the French group of ports including Le Havre, Rouen and Paris, reported a 2.4 percent year-on-year increase in overall tonnage during 2015 at 91.4 million tonnes.
Traffic at its ro-ro cargo terminals increased by 7 percent, attributed to a recovery in the automotive sector.
Liquid bulk was up by 5.7 percent. Dry bulk increased 4.1 percent with grain volume rising 12.6 percent to 8.17 million tonnes - the best year since 2010, stated Haropa. Container traffic remained stable with a 0.7 percent year-on-year improvement in teu handled at the three ports.
During 2016, Haropa claims it will invest more than EUR150 million (USD162.45 million) to upgrade the François 1 and Tancarville locks at the Port of Le Havre; launch a new dredging phase to improve access at the Port of Rouen; while undertaking large-scale works for the Grand Paris project - a development designed to revitalise suburban Paris.
