As part of their investment in port terminals, PORTSYNERGY shareholders CMA CGM and DP World have just taken delivery of the first two gantry cranes for the “Terminal de la Méditerranée”. It is a symbolic step for their new container terminal at FOS2XL which will begin commercial operations in March 2011. For the CMA CGM Group, these are the 14th and 15th cranes to be purchased for its French terminals.

Signed in 2006 with the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille, the agreement to build and operate a container terminal at Fos for a period of 35 years was granted to CMA CGM and DP World as part of the FOS 2XL project. The aim is to significantly expand the port’s positioning for container traffic in the Mediterranean.

With an estimated flow of 1 million teus in 2010, of which two-thirds are handled by Fos terminals, the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille ranks number two in France, 15th in Europe, but only 102 in the world for container traffic. FOS2XL will improve the competitiveness of Marseille/Fos by doubling its container handling capacity, and marks the starting point of the redevelopment of this port to service French and European markets.

The two super post-panamax gantry cranes delivered today, with a capacity of 100 tons and a reach of 22 rows of containers, mean the terminal can handle the world’s largest container ships in the most efficient way. For the first phase, the 50-hectare CMA CGM/DP WORLD terminal will have five gantry cranes and an 840 m long quay, with a draft of 14 to 16 m, able to accommodate two 13,000 teu-plus vessels at any one time.

"We are pleased to be the first to operate in FOS2XL," said Farid Salem, Executive Officer at CMA CGM. "CMA CGM is Fos’ biggest customer with three weekly services to Asia and North America. This new terminal will allow us to handle an extra 2 million teus. It is a very big contribution made by our Group to the PACA (Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur) region. It is very much in line with Jacques R Saadé’s policy to contribute to the growth of Marseille."

"DP World is already present in France at the Terminal de France in Le Havre and in Marseille, with CMA CGM. This investment in FOS 2 XL reflects the confidence we place in France and in our partner, CMA CGM,” commented Roger Roels, Member of the Executive Committee/DP World.