“The Franco-Indian relationship which celebrated the silver jubilee this July has seen the maritime container traffic between India and HAROPA remain stable in the period 2021/2022, whilst many of our competitors had seen a decrease in figures, shares” Capt. Ram Iyer, India Representative, HAROPA Port
As the India representative of HAROPA Ports tell us about your initiatives to improve trade and connectivity between Indian ports and HAROPA?
Seahorse ship agencies maintain regular contact with French Embassy in India & work closely with all government offices & trade bodies including Business France and Indo- French Chamber of Commerce etc to develop & further bilateral relation and expand the network between our countries.
Seahorse Ship Agencies also continue in its endeavours to develop business & trading relationships with important Indian professional associations on the port and maritime sector, opinion leaders, shippers, leading freight forwarders and port authorities to share information with them about latest evolutions on HAROPA PORT side to offer an alternative and competitive solutions for all cargo destined from India to France especially to the north continent.
How has been the trade movement between India and HAROPA over the past 2 years? How can it be improved further? Are there any tariff/non-tariff barriers that need to be addressed?
The maritime container traffic between India and HAROPA was stable regarding the period 2021/2022.
Whilst many of our HAROPA PORT competitors had seen a decrease in figures, HAROPA PORT maintained volumes
The collective confidence in the exceptional quality of the Franco-Indian relationship, which this year celebrates the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership that was hailed at the highest level on 14th July in Paris and the ambition we share with India to continue to strengthen this relationship in all areas so that together we can tackle the major global challenges and international crises impacting global economies. Our two countries have adopted a roadmap to set the course for their bilateral relationship up to 2047, the date of the centenary of their diplomatic relations.
To highlight & showcase the importance of the partnership between INDIA and HAROPA PORT, it should be noted, that an important HAROPA PORT delegation (including the mayor of Le Havre, former prime minister of France) was in India, earlier this year in March to communicate latest evolutions and improvements on HAROPA PORT side. The delegation met up with a host of senior members of the Indian government and Indian EXIM Industry leaders and partners.
Would you like to share any recent infrastructure upgrades at HAROPA, which will be of particular use for Indian exporters/importers?
A Host of infrastructural upgrades continue at HAROPA including
a) Completion of Port 2000 (berths 11&12), b) massive investment has been the terminal operators in order to increase and the efficiency (viz:TIL announced a, investment of 1 billion Euros) to triple the capacity of their terminals & operational by end 2024 and c) GMP terminals investments in new gantry crane etc
d) Port 2000 fairway project which enable barge access 24×7 to/from container terminals on Port 2000 to improve reliable and efficient river services encouraging the modal shift focusing to reduce environmental impacts.
HAROPA PORT continue to develop onshore power supply with a gradual deployment on river, cruise and maritime terminals within the period from 2023 to 2028.
New railway service between Le Havre and Tours (Loire region) operated by Naviland & this new service offers logistics providers and manufacturing companies an environmentally friendly alternative to “100% road haulage”, thereby contributing to the decarbonization of the logistics chains passing through HAROPA PORT.
Launch of the Bruyères-sur-Oise trimodal hub project to strengthen the green multimodal logistics corridor on the Seine axis.
Tell us about the green initiatives at HAROPA? How are they replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy/biofuels in logistics and port operations?
Support for biowaste methanization project Operational by 2025. Establishment of a Paprec plant in Gennevilliers with an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons Production of biogas to supply the Paris region network.
Participation in the ESI Environmental Shipping Index program HAROPA PORT grants a bonus to vessels whose air emission reductions exceed current International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulatory requirements.
Expansion of multi-energy 2023-2025. Progressive installation of latest-generation stations on our multimodal platforms. Production and distribution of carbon-free hydrogen for road mobility and later for river transport.
Enhanced Bunkering capacity of the Seine corridor. LNG bunkering available by truck or by barge. Methanol storage capacities at Alkion and Rubis terminals
ENGIE joins forces with CMA CGM and Air France-KLM to accelerate the decarbonization of sea and air transport by launching the first industrial-scale renewable and low-carbon fuel platform in Le Havre (investment I billion Euros).
The recently announced India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor, how will it impact the connectivity and trade with HAROPA?
HAROPA PORT represent the most natural, direct, and privileged entry to Paris, one of the most leading consumer markets in Europe and well connected by rail, road, waterways & short sea connections to rest of Europe
The India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC), announced during the recent G20 Summit in India, holds significant potential for boosting regional connectivity, enhancing economic integration, trade, investments, and fostering cooperation among the participating countries on multiple fronts.
This ambitious project aims to establish a seamless multimodal trade route connecting India, UAE, Saudi Arabia , Jordan, Israel, and Europe, reduce trade costs, by improving transportation infrastructure, cross-border cooperation, energy supply, and logistical efficiencies, promote market access with the potential to revolutionize global trade dynamics.
Though at it its nascent stage this giga project could, in reality be the game changer with a clear road map for geo- economics and geo-politics co-operating for mutual benefit
Shared economic interests will surely incentivize collaboration for stronger diplomatic relations, security cooperation, facilitating dialogue, and fostering geopolitical equilibrium. reduce trade costs, promote market access.
This corridor envisages for goods to be carried from India to in UAE by sea route, onward by rail via UAE , Saudi Arabia & Jordan up to Haifa port in Israel ( this rail leg envisages a mix of already existing Brownfield projects and fresh Greenfield projects to connect missing links) & From Haifa to Italy and onwards to European hinterland.
Partners to this IMEC & its initial MOU signing confirm that this corridor would reduce the distance between India and Europe by 40%., facilitate electricity cable and a clean hydrogen pipeline to ‘foster clean energy trade between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe’
The positive impact of this IMEC corridor on the Indian economy and that of all other partner nations including Europe is indisputable. We are confident that this corridor will further trade cooperation and HAROPA is well positioned and ready to develop and cater to this trade growth.
