The shipping platform

Location: La Nouvelle is located on the French Mediterranean coast on the W side of the Gulf of Lyons, approximately 30 km. north of the Spanish border, at the south of Narbonne. General overview: La Nouvelle is a small commercial and fishing port with recreational craft facilities, formed by a canal which connects Etang de Sigean with the sea. The port handles general cargo, grain, LPG and petroleum products. The port is entered through a dredged channel, between two breakwaters into a series of three basins; Darse Petroliere, Darse de Commerce and Darse de Peche, which occupy the N shore of a canal leading into Etang de Sigean. The port handles a wide range of commodities (petroleum products, liquid bulk, cereals, dry bulk, breakbulk and project cargoes), mainly raw materials and semi-finished products. Cereals facilities: -Between 150 and 500,000 tonnes of cereals are exported from Port-La Nouvelle each year, including durum wheat, soft wheat and barley. The site (72,000 m2) consists of 3 silos with a total capacity of 75,600 tonnes (Silo 1 = 32,500t/Silo 2 = 20,000t/Silo 3 = 23,100t), 4 pits for the truck receptions (150 to 400 t/hour), 3 discharging stations for trains (300 to 600 t/hour), one truck loading station, 3 weighbridges and a laboratory for analysis. The SILOS DU SUD benefits from a HACCP-GT Food Safety Charter. Dry bulk and breakbulk: -Dry bulk and general cargoes handled in Port-La Nouvelle are mainly raw materials and semi-finished products like minerals, cement, fertilizers, quarry products, forest products, big bags, steels and various industrial commodities. The future deep-sea port, currently under construction, will boost the development of these traffics. It will also bring the Port to be diversified towards new activities like the floating offshore wind mill industry. Liquid and petroleum products: The hydrocarbons processed in Port-La Nouvelle represent more than 1,000,000 tonnes of imported products. These are white refined products, mainly gasoil, unleaded petrol and marine fuels. In addition, the port operates Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) and ethanol for about 60,000 to 100,000 tonnes per year. Traffic figures: Approx 440 vessels, and 2,270,000t of cargo handled annually. Load line zone: Summer Zone for ships over 100m in length and Winter Seasonal Area for ships of 100m or less in length, Winter Dec 16 to Mar 15, Summer Mar 16 to Dec 15. Max size: -Harbour: LOA 145m, beam 22m, draught 8.0m. -CBM: LOA 190m, beam 31.3m, draught 11.6m, 40,000DWT.