Brexit borders made easy 24 Havre.


The Port of Le Havre community system, SOGET, says it can offer an electronic solution to the problem of clearing cross-Channel traffic between the UK and France aſter Brexit.


SOGET’s Port Community


System (PCS) already handles ro ro operations across the Channel to the ports of Caen-Ouistreham, Calais and Le


The


‘EasyBrexit’ pilot solution offered by SOGET will extend its digital expertise to all types of goods


Director of Soget Innovation,


Olivier Jean-Degauchyexplains: “The approach is very simple: ferry lines and Channel Tunnel logistics traffic are considered as road and ro ro bridges. The early sharing of information related to goods in EasyBrexit will enable cross border automated port controls, thus making possible the reduction of physical inspections.” As soon as information on the goods is known to the carrier, EasyBrexit confidentially shares stakeholders’


Turning Les Bleus green


Slowly but surely, French companies are greening their logistics operations says Christophe Hinfray, vice president international and marketing at European TK’Blue Agency. Firms are interested in, for


example, switching to less- polluting forms of transport such as barges or rail, although the trend is slow and uncertain. French-based TK’Blue


specialises in producing ‘real world’ figures for the various types of emissions put out by trucks and other forms of transport and creating an accurate picture of how much pollution firms’ logistics operations are really producing. Other analysts tend to use averages and aggregated data and their figures are much less accurate as a result, Hinfray argues. There has lately been an


upsurge in interest in green transport in France. The French railways are offering a number of new intermodal services and ports


such as Marseilles and


Dunkerque have been vigorously promoting their inland waterway links. However, switching from


truck to a completely new form of transport can be a big step for many firms. It may require heavy capital expenditure and trains or barges may be slower or less flexible than trucks. The road transport industry


has meanwhile done a great deal to clean up its act with the new Euro 5 and Euro 6 standard trucks, while freight exchanges have helped to maximise trailer fill and eliminate empty running,


says Hinfray. In the short term at least, improving the efficiency of existing road logistics operations “is the path of least resistance,” he argues. The ports and railways are to gain market


making efforts


share although in the case of the latter, it will probably take ‘on rail’ competition in France to make them truly commercially attractive to shippers. “I think it will happen, but it’s not a done deal yet,” he says. TK’Blue meanwhile is focussing


on helping its customers “reduce their emissions per mile or kilometre, or per tonne, and to go on reducing them year aſter year”. It uses very detailed data, kept confidentially of course, to build up a detailed, accurate picture of actual emissions which it uses to help companies redesign their supply chain architecture. As well as improving the performance of transport itself, this may include adding – or eliminating – warehouses or possibly encouraging firms to consolidate loads together. Some customers have achieved 25% reductions in emissions over 2-3 years, says Hinfray. Environmental awareness


in France is increasing, he adds. Somewhat behind London or the German cities, in October a number of French conurbations announced plans for road tolls to limit access to the urban core. Although exact details have yet to be released, it will almost certainly lead to a reconsideration of urban logistics, Hinfray believes. It’s part of a growing trend in government


French thinking


data involved in the transport and logistics chain between UK and European Community points of entry. This will enable customs services to operate mandatory requirements in a digital environment that facilitates the free movement of goods in a secure manner, he said. General manager and chairman


of the Soget management board, Hervé Cornède, added: “With the main ports of Normandy and the Hauts-de-France already


to put more of a tax burden on transport and logistics and it’s something that logistics managers need to be aware of. However, demonstrating the


best environmental practices can oſten mitigate the effects. For example, when French retailer Carrefour found itself facing restrictions on when its trucks could access certain urban areas, with TK’Blue’s help it was able to demonstrate that it had made efforts to cut emissions from its vehicles and it was granted a concession. TK’Blue is already well known


in France but it is now marketing itself in other countries including Germany, the UK – where it has been especially well-received, says Hinfray - Spain and Australia where concerns over urban congestion


and pollution are


every bit as acute. But there is also a large market


back home in France to go for. TK’Blue does have its competitors, but in a sense the biggest are companies who prefer to take a ‘DIY’ approach to measuring emissions, or those who simply do not yet perceive it as an issue. The problem with companies


doing it themselves, says Hinfray, is that while it


is possible to


include a note in the annual report “just for show” it is difficult to achieve lasting improvements without the help of rigorous measurement and analysis. As for companies that do


not monitor their logistics operations, it may be because they are manufacturers whose emissions from their primary activities overshadow those of


their transport activities.


However, emissions from these firms’ logistics activity may still be pretty sizeable. Retailers tend to be more aware of their logistics emissions because virtually every aspect of their activities are bound up with it.


equipped with our tech solutions, Soget can turn the anxiety about future Brexit obligations into strategic opportunities thanks to our new, neutral community platform for secure information exchange.” Hervé Cornède added that, for veterinary and phytosanitary


Mineral water and dairy powder specialists Danone and Euroserum have become the latest container shippers to be recognised by the Medlink Ports association for their regular use of the river network between the Rhone- Saone corridor and the French Mediterranean coast. They join 25 previously cited companies. Medlink brings together the


seaports of Marseille Fos and Sete, eight river ports and inland waterways authorities, Voies Navigables de France and the Compagnie Nationale du Rhone. Danone and Euroserum each


ship via the Saone port of Macon for export from Fos and also utilise rail links. Foodstuffs giant Danone is the


world’s second largest supplier of bottled waters, which represent 19% of its sales.


The company


has used Macon for 18 years from three sites supplying its Evian, Volvic and Badoit brands. In 2017, shipments between these sites and Fos totalled 4,800teu – mainly by river – for export to destinations including China, Japan and the UAE. Euroserum is the world market


Issue 8 2018 - Freight Business Journal


///FRANCE & CHANNEL PORTS


controls, Soget, the French customs, the Food Directorate (DGAL) and all the professionals of the Seine Axis already use paperless documentation for controlled goods, adding: “With EasyBrexit, the frontier veterinary and phytosanitary inspection service (SIVEP) will be systematised for all cross-Channel flows. Soget and its supply chain partners have teamed up with


River users recognised


leader in demineralised whey powder, a key ingredient in infant milk formula. River transport was adopted six years ago for exports from three of its production sites to China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Africa and the Middle East. Some 90% of its exports via Fos are forwarded by barge or by rail from Chalon- sur-Saone, with last year’s river volumes accounting for 4,200teu. Both companies chose the


river solution based on their strong partnership with Macon- based Alaine Overseas, a leading foodstuffs freight forwarder specialising in eco-friendly modes, and are the first shippers to be recognised by Medlink for their container flows on the Saone. Other companies to have received the accolade include Auchan, Bayer, Carrefour, Michelin and Renault Truck. The achievement was marked


during a meeting of multimodal professionals in Macon hosted by Medlink Ports president Jean- Claude Gayssot and Saone/Loire chamber of commerce director- general Bernard Leyes. Apart from Macon and Chalon, Medlink’s inland port members


New rail link cuts the carbon


French-owned forwarder Geodis has been running a new rail- road service between Hendaye on the French-Spanish border and Metz on the French-German border since February this year. Five to six trains per week have been using the route since the summer, helping to reduce road congestion as well as cutting the carbon footprint of freight on this corridor. It is aimed at companies that


export goods from Spain and Portugal to the north of France, Germany, Benelux countries and Eastern Europe, or that import from these countries, for sectors such as retail distribution, automotive and industrial. Geodis provides an end-to-end logistics solution with a 1,100km


rail leg between Hendaye and Metz and local delivery by road. In the long term, a Paris stopover at Geodis’


Bonneuil-sur-Marne is planned. Executive vice president road


transport Olivier Royer enthuses: “This new multimodal service will take up to 11,500 trucks off the road each year. Beyond the driver shortage and road congestion situation which we are currently facing, we will see a real impact on the carbon footprint of freight between France and Spain by significantly reducing CO2 emissions per ton transported.” The door-to-door service


operated by Geodis includes cross-docking at its own warehouses located at each end of the line, as well as freight


logistics platform in


their counterparts in southern England


to ensure that the


EasyBrexit solution operates with information systems and helps provide logistics efficiency to port communities on both sides of the Channel.” Soget In has also teamed up


with Microsoſt to offer predictive analysis and artificial intelligence to offer more advanced targeting of cross-border traffic.


include Pagny, Villefranche-sur- Saone, Lyon, Vienne Sud, Avignon le Pontet and Arles. According to the port of


Marseilles, there is 550km of high gauge waterway between Fos and Burgundy, with a maximum barge capacity 4,400 tonnes. From north of there it is even possible to reach France’s northern ports but with barges of only 300 tonnes maximum. Dry and liquid bulk commodities account for 80% of Rhône-Saône traffic and containers the remaining 20%. The port adds that there are


two barge operators, Greenmodal and Logi Ports Shuttle currently operating four days a week but there is the prospect of a daily service. In the port itself, the Marseille


ro-ro hub is being further developed with the setting up a northern Europe rail connection for craneable and non-craneable trailers. Rail


capacity for containers


is also being upgraded in both Marseille and Fos.


There are


currently 200 rail services per week and the port lies on two European TEN-T corridors: North Sea/Mediterranean and Mediterranean.


transport from Metz to final


delivery points in Northern Europe or the Iberian Peninsula, using its own fleet of vehicles. Royer explains: “This


multimodal solution makes it possible to achieve flows with a transit time similar to that of road haulage. In this way we can guarantee high volume transport at a reasonable cost, while eliminating rising diesel prices, seasonal fluctuations in heavy goods vehicle transport or the cost of return trips that normally impact transport by truck.” A freight tracking and


management system allows customers to pinpoint the location of their shipment in real time. Geodis also offers alternative transport by road using the 3,800 vehicles in its own or its partners’ fleets in the event of an incident.


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