The sub-concession group for the port of Arles was announced on Friday December 20.
The Compagnie nationale du Rhône (CNR), concessionaire of the Rhône, announced Friday December 20, 2024 the designation of the sub-concessionaire group of the port of Arles. This group is made up of the CCI du Pays d'Arles (agent), NGE Concessions, the Banque des Territoires (Caisse des Dépôts Group), the Caisse d'Épargne and the Compagnie Fluviale de Transport (Sogestran Group).
The sub-concession of the public port of Arles, which extends over a period of 25 years, includes the development, operation, maintenance and major upkeep of the public port of Arles in particular to support the growth of mass flows of the port. This marks a strategic turning point for the port of Arles, which will be completely modernized during the first two years of the project.
The CCI of Pays d’Arles will ensure port operation
The CCI of Pays d'Arles will ensure the operation of activities which includes all services and in particular port handling. It bases its strategy in accordance with that of the Mediterranean Rhône Saône axis (MeRS). Accessible to 3000 t vessels, the port of Arles offers all the advantages in complementarity with the other river ports, GPMM, Port of Toulon and Port of Sète South of France. With its 40 years of experience, the CCI has developed skills and recognized know-how with more than 500,000 tonnes of goods processed in 2023. It invests in tools and promotion to ensure reliability, quality and development .
By relying on the circular economy sectors (scrap metal, biomass), the wood sector (crushing and lumber) and maritime containers, the CCI of Pays d'Arles will work to develop mass transport . “It is an honor for the CCI of Pays d’Arles to be part of this group which aims to ensure the future of the port. The Port of Arles was created more than 40 years ago by the CCI as part of a territorial development process. welcomed Stéphane Paglia, president of the CCI of Pays d’Arles. “The ambition of the CCI of Pays d'Arles is to make the port a real lever of economic development serving our territory, fully committed to modal shift and ecological transition.“
Modernization work carried out by NGE
The sub-concessionaire group composed of NGE Concessions (35%), the CCI du Pays d'Arles (35%), the Banque des Territoires (14.99%), the Caisse d'Epargne (10.01%) and the Compagnie Fluviale de Transport (5%) will invest a total of 7 million euros for the modernization of the port of Arles. A 100% NGE construction group (Guintoli agent, EHTP pipelines, Agilis concrete roads, NGE Routes and NGE GC civil engineering) will carry out work to modernize the port with a view to increasing river freight. The work will aim to ensure that the site meets environmental requirements.
The various works that NGE will carry out are: the construction of structures for the recovery, storage and treatment of rainwater before their discharge into the natural environment, the construction of a 200 m2 concrete washing area equipped with a decanter/sludge trap system which will allow the treatment of ship washing water before their evacuation, the construction of a hydraulic network, storage platforms, the relamping of the entire lighting network, the installation of terminals power supplies connected to the edge of the quay to enable the supply of water and electricity to ships in port, the installation of a video surveillance system on existing lighting masts to ensure complete remote monitoring of the site.
“Our teams will therefore be present over the long term for 25 years, to transform the port of Arles and strengthen it in its role as the economic heart of the territory.“, declared Jean Bernadet, the president of NGE. Alexis Rouque, the regional director of the Caisse des Dépôts also highlighted a project “creator of value for the territory“. “By joining in the financing of this operation, the Banque des Territoires confirms its commitment to accelerate the decarbonization of transport and participate in the ecological and energy transformation of the country, which constitutes one of the major challenges for Caisse des Dépôts.“
