HAROPA and sugar storage and handling specialist Sucre Océane have inaugurated a new sugar silo at the Port of Le Havre.

According to Sucre Océane, which is co-owned by Euroports and SHGT, the new 15,000-tonne silo and its upgraded surroundings represent an investment of €13 million (US$15 million). The new silo is located near three other silos of the same capacity.

The launch takes advantage of the withdrawal on October 1, 2017 of the European quotas on the export of sugar. These quotas were imposed by the Common Market Organization within the scope of the Rome treaty, signed in 1957.

“The liberalization of the European sugar market is an opportunity for our customers to serve new markets and resume overseas export,” said Guillaume Blanchard, president of SHGT. “Extending our storage and transit capacity will enable us to meet these opportunities of growth; we will handle up to 140,000 tonnes of sugar for this season, that is 6,000 TEUs exported from the Port of Le Havre.”

Emmanuèle Perron, chairwoman of HAROPA – Port of Le Havre, said that the liberalization of the market gives momentum to exports and offers France new business prospects.

“That’s why, in Le Havre, the end of the quotas enables Sucre Océane, an essential stakeholder of this industrial trade, to develop its business by building this fourth silo dedicated to the export of sugar in containers,” she said. “Our country, our region, our city and our port are delighted that Sucre Océane could have anticipated this growth opportunity choosing to invest in our area.”

Approximately 14,000 TEUs of sugar were handled at the Port of Le Havre, of which exports accounted for 63%, according to HAROPA.