A consortium led by the domestic liner shipping company CMA CGM has been awarded the contract to operate the container terminals in the Rhône port of Lyon.
The contract will run for the next 13 years. According to the shipping company, it plans to invest around €40m. To this end, the two terminals on the banks of the Rhône are to be modernised and expanded.
This includes, for example, the creation of new railroad lines, the installation of loading stations on the quay and the expansion of the operating area. The replacement of one of the gantry cranes is also planned.
The port of Édouard-Herriot (900 direct jobs) in the south of Lyon belongs to the state, but is managed by the Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR). This is responsible for awarding the concession. This will take effect in spring 2025.
CMA CGM wins concession
CMA CGM has joined forces with the Banque des Territoires and the Chambers of Commerce (CCI) Lyon Métropole Saint-Etienne Roanne and Métropolitaine Aix-Marseille-Provence. Two years ago, French President Emmanuel Macron held out on the prospect of better connections to the “Grand Port Marseille-Lyon”.
“With this project, we also want to encourage companies to rediscover the river as a low-emission method of transportation. We want to double the share of inland waterway transport in hinterland traffic to 10% by 2032,” says Philippe Valentin, President of CCI Lyon Métropole Saint-Etienne Roanne. The terminal is expected to reach a capacity of 230,000 TEU by 2028.
On this route, which connects the Rhône-Alpes region with the port of Marseille, 80% of goods are currently transported by road, 15% by rail and only 5% by river. The 330 km of the navigable route is mainly used to transport bulk goods such as sand, salt or grain and an average of around 70,000 containers annually.
CMA CGM, a leading global container shipping giant based in Marseille, has 57 port terminals in 28 countries. The company’s revenue amounted to US$15.8bn in the third quarter of 2024.
