Marseilles drop fails to dent optimism

A drop in container traffic was partially offset by strong grain and biofuels volume growth of 40%, but overall turnover fell 8% to E172m ($234m).

Despite the decline, the port authority claims to have made “significant progress” on preparations for French port reform legislation during 2009, notably with preparations for the transfer of container and dry bulk cargo handling to private operators.

The port says it “remains cautious” on cargo forecasts for 2010 but is targeting 11% growth to around 92m tonnes thanks to the launch or re-commissioning of various installations.