Haropa Port and SOGEPP look to the Seine for biofuel distribution

Riverboat line SOGESTRAN transported bioethanol and discharged its load at the river terminal of SOGEPP’s depot at the port of Gennevilliers.
The barge was delivering ethanol transhipped on board from a seagoing vessel at Le Havre.
A specific biofuels logistics chain is ramping up capacity along the Seine Axis.
New flows managed by SOGEPP are making use of multimodality to provide a competitive, decarbonised solution for carrying energy products, which have until now mainly been transported by road.
SOGEPP operates a storage depot for liquid energy products on six hectares in the Gennevilliers’ port area. The company is an important link in the Greater Paris fuel distribution chain.
SOGEPP approached HAROPA Port with a view to giving a renewed boost to river traffic to and from its facilities in Gennevilliers. The goal is to develop this traffic between Normandy’s seaports and the Paris area.
Petroleum products that cannot be sent via oil pipelines (such as ethanol and biodiesel) can be carried on the river. HAROPA’s Paris office proposed that it would build a transhipment facility as a practical solution for the desired traffic.
SOGEPP aims to develop further biobased energy products such as HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil).
This river logistics project has received funding from France’s Waterways Authority (VNF) for the modernisation of the barge discharging installations. Support provided under the modal transfer aid plan, itself co-financed by the Greater Paris regional administration.
The port provided €1.1 million in funding to build the jetty and €2.65 million for modification of the riverbanks in its vicinity.
The cost of the jetty superstructure required for operations is borne by SOGEPP, assisted by teams from Raffinerie du Midi where the engineering and administrative formalities are concerned.