All this autumn, French waterways agency VNF is set to organise a series of awareness days to promote river and canal transportation with the freight and logistics community. Called “river training”, the initiative aims to educate industry professionals about how inland waterways can be used for transportation. If shippers are interested, they can also get support with switching to this alternative mode of transport. The campaign will provide information not just about how inland waterway transport works, but also the costs and the grants available, as well as the regulatory aspects. The next events will take place in the French cities of Bordeaux, Compiègne, Metz, and Macon.

During the South African Heavy Haul Association conference Transnet, South Africa’s transport and logistics network, presented its vision for the future. Transnet Port Terminals manages 16 terminals across the country while Transnet Freight Rail controls a rail network of nearly 30,000 kilometres. Transnet’s vision includes the adoption of a two-pronged approach to address both immediate operational challenges and align with strategic, long-term goals. It was highlighted that operational efficiency needs to be improved, capacity needs to be increased, and collaboration with all stakeholders has to be assured. Transnet also needs to address existing infrastructure challenges. Several key policies and frameworks are guiding these efforts, such as the National Road Policy, the Freight Logistics Roadmap, and the Transport Economic Regulator.

The Port of Marseille (France) has taken a proactive approach to supporting the local blue economy. A new certification scheme was launched at the start of the new academic year in September, with an official label awarded to schools in the city’s northern districts that offer courses connected to the blue economy. Only one vocational school has obtained the label so far, but the aim is to roll out courses at other institutions, and perhaps eventually to create a blue economy school to meet the needs of the local industry. The Port of Marseille also recently signed a cooperation agreement with the Port of New York-New Jersey (USA) to create a new green shipping corridor. 

The city of Le Port (France) is advancing in its project “Portes de l’Océan” to reclaim urban wasteland and create a mixed-use port-city interface area. The project, which is set on 7 ha, will include housing, shops, and offices; the new headquarters of the Grand Port Maritime de la Réunion; the redevelopment of the heritage site “Maisons des ingénieurs” into restaurants and leisure spaces; the newly created Port Cenet; and the modernization of the Pointe des Galets marina. On September 9^th, members of the steering committee met to take stock of the progress of the project, and validate the preliminary project for public spaces and its implementation methods.

At the Port of Antwerp (Belgium), a working group led by a chemicals firm is currently looking at around fifteen projects aimed at making improvements to the cycle paths and lanes in the north-eastern sector of the Port. Various obstacles have been identified and are gradually being cleared. New cycling infrastructures are also under construction to make bike journeys from the port to the surrounding villages easier. The various parties involved in the working group include Evonik, which came up with the project, alongside local businesses, municipal and provincial authorities, and of course the port itself.  Evonik is also helping to improve road safety for children going to school, by donating fluorescent jackets to a nonprofit association.