River transport is not a byproduct of the NRC

"From the 1990s, seaports have begun to look to the Interior", notes Mathieu Duval, responsible for mission to the President of the company national du Rhône for River transportation issues. On the Rhone, he explains, 80 of goods have a source or destination port and "river transport has thus no future without strong link with the maritime transport". And vice versa. It is in this spirit that was launched in 1997 the concept of "Advanced Lyon port of Marseille" with rail, and river, shuttles on the model, all proportions held in Duisburg, advanced port of Rotterdam, on the Rhine.

The CNR, dealer of the River, is well placed in this area as one of its missions is to manage the infrastructure and the development of the services on the Rhone between Lyon and Marseille. In this context, it manages the Port Edouard-Herriot in Lyon (PEHL) in total grant for infrastructure and via a 64 alongside subsidiary, among others, the great seaport of Marseille (16) for handling. Other missions of the CNR (of the GDF Suez Group through its subsidiary Electrabel): the production of hydroelectricity. It provides recipes. "River transport is not a by-product of the NRC." "A good part of the means provided by the production of electricity it are affected," said Mathieu Duval.

River progress contract

These means explain that the company carries out major investments. "We provide tools and infrastructure of river operators", said Mathieu Duval. The CNR has created the terminal 2 of Port Edouard Herriot (EUR 20 million) and developed a management centre of the navigation that centralizes remote the passage of the locks at trade vessels 24 hours en route (22 million euros). It launched its second plan of development of 53 million euros from 2009 to 2013 with the goal to modernize and make the works of the River upstream of the port.

In 2002, the CNR and France waterways (VNF) had signed a contract of river progress to develop the waterway in connection with the maritime. Over the years and of the various conventions, ties with Marseille are strengthened. "The River presents a considerable capacity reserve that the port of Fos has identified well," said Mathieu Duval, that "everything is in Marseille. When port reform will be completed by end of 2010, the reliability and the image of Marseilles-Fos will be strengthened and it will become "the" port of South-East of the France. "Fos 2XL starts in 2011, it will clearly be a new heading," said. So a breakthrough of the camber is scheduled to link the maritime basin to the river via the canal of the Barcarin in 2013 or 2014. "Polls, give the River ways to meet foreseeable demand." Partnerships with Marseille reinforce therefore constantly. The creation in 2009 informal structure Med Link, which brings together the port of Marseille to all ports of the Rhône Saône axis, is the illustration. This instrument of promotion is manifested in the proposes of March next in Paris.

Because the interest of the CNR also overflows du Rhône beyond its concession to the extension of the axis on the Saône which has a significant port, Pagny, fed by flows of grains. In 2010, VNF, in partnership with the NRC and to study the investment on the horizon of fifteen-twenty years launches study of a port layout Rhône Saône as well as a scheme of ship repair. "There is a large potential for cereals in this direction." Containers however undergo a constraint because the bridges of Lyon which limited the height to two layers of boxes. To shuttles on the ports of the Saône, the solution is to tranship in Lyon containers on units more small and adapted in unit costs. Pending a possible resulted in more distant to the Moselle and the Rhine.