Sete joins Medlink

The Marseilles Fos port authority welcomed the move as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation in promoting waterways transport for containers, dry and liquid bulks and outsize cargo in a hinterland of 14m inhabitants. It stressed that the waterways option provided a key differentiation for the French Mediterranean ports compared with rivals in the southern Europe range.

Medlink Ports was launched with the support of inland waterways authority Voies Navigables de France. The inland platforms include Pagny, Chalon, Macon, Villefranche-sur-Saone, Lyons, Vienne-Sud/Salaise-Sablons, Valence, Avignon-Le Pontet and Arles. Traffic growth on the network was marked last year by a 12% increase in container volumes to 70,000 teu.

The multi-purpose port of Sete is ranked tenth in France with annual throughput of more than 3.6m tonnes. Volumes grew by 6% last year following several years of upgrading equipment. The port says that by joining Medlink, it is now ready to take advantage of the modernisation of the adjoining Canal du Rhone.