A new rail shuttle and a new inland shipping link. Connections between Northern France and the port of Rotterdam are now better than ever. Five times a week, a train leaves Rotterdam for Dourges, and the inland shipping schedule also includes a number of departures per week. These connections, which were launched this spring, serve as a hub from and to other destinations in the South of France. An important step forwards for the Hauts-de-France region and Rotterdam’s service providers. France is an important industrial centre for the automotive, electronics, pharmaceutical and food processing sectors. On top of that, the country’s agricultural sector is the largest of its kind in the EU, and France stands as one of the world’s foremost wine producers. To import and export all this cargo, it is important to ensure that connections with the port of Rotterdam are optimal. Besides the new rail shuttle and the new connection for inland container vessels, there is another major new development on the horizon. The financing for the new Scheldt-Seine connection has been greenlighted. This project will kick off in 2018 and be rounded off by 2021. Its realisation will expand the country’s existing inland shipping options even further. Tomorrow, we will be going into all these new developments during the Port of Rotterdam Seminar & Business Event in Seclin, near Lille. Ports de Lille agrees on the importance of the new connections. Its General Director, Alain Lefebvre will be discussing this subject during the seminar. In addition, the day’s programme includes presentations by Ben Maelissa, RPPC Board Member and Managing Director of the Danser Group, Peter ten Broek, Business Development Manager Logistics at the Port of Rotterdam Authority, and RPPC Managing Director Marjolein Warburg. The presentations will be followed by an opportunity for 60 French shippers and freight forwarders and 15 representatives of Rotterdam-based logistics service providers to meet and talk. Both contingents are already in contact with one another via the innovative online platform Rotterdam Port Connector.