A new jetty for the web site

A new jetty has been made by the SAREM workshops (naval construction company) for the CCI Bayonne Pays Basque. It was put into place in March and is now situated opposite Maïsica. Intended for the two existing Port of Bayonne tugboats, the Balea and the Saint Bernard, it enables them to move closer to the mouth of the Adour in order to be in action more quickly. This facility is 50 metres long and weighs 40 tonnes. SAREM used a 120-tonne crane to put it into position. Cost of the construction : 350,000 euros.

Decentralization news item

On 1st July of this year, the Port of Bayonne could well be the first port in France to be decentralized : control would be transferred by the State to the Aquitaine Regional Council.
Since 20th June 2005, Aquitaine Regional Council has officially stood as candidate for the transfer of the Port of Bayonne within the framework of the Law covering decentralization.
The following points were evoked :
• The importance of commercial ports in territorial development,
• The Port of Bayonne’s position among French national ports, i.e. : 3rd position in the 13 transfer ports,
• The particular geographical position of the Port of Bayonne
The Regional Council also confirmed its « desire to support the development of maritime traffic along the Atlantic » and its « wish to encourage the transfer of road haulage to other routes, notably maritime ».

The transfer of jurisdiction between the State and the Regional Council will take place in two main stages :
1 – the local government – in this case Aquitaine Regional Council – has requested the transfer
« for all or a part of the port, with the possibility of individualisation, with a single holder and no enclave »
2 – a contract is drawn up between the State and the local government « preparing an examination of the condition of the port, defining the way in which the transfer will be carried out and establishing the effective date. ».

This second stage will take place in the first half-year of 2006 and should result in the transfer being made official by next July.

Then the Aquitaine Regional Council will launch the process of renewing the concession for the management of the Port of Bayonne. The CCI Bayonne Pays Basque, who is the current manager, will naturally be standing as a candidate.
The current concession should terminate in August 2006. An extension has been granted by law up to 30th June 2007.

The Port of Bayonne participated for the 6th consecutive year alongside Bordeaux, Pasajes and Bilbao in the International Logistics and Transport Week, one of the main European dates in this sector.
The stand, shared by the four ports, also included the major logistic zones in the Euro-region, including the European Freight Centre in Mouguerre, so underlining the complementary relationship of the main actors in regional transport in their search to implement solutions encouraging modal transfer.

Saint-Bernard and Blancpignon Wharf Extension

In order to be able to develop the traffic of diverse merchandise, the CCI Bayonne Pays Basque and the Departmental Development Council have planned to extend the 132-metre Saint Bernard wharf in order to be able to bring two boats alongside simultaneously. It is in fact impossible to have current traffic (wood, heavy packages, etc.) at one post with a regular line of containers that put into port on fixed days and times.

Prior to this work, it has been planned to dismantle the waiting station situated downstream to the current wharf. This post comprises mooring piles (called the Ducs d’Albe) that will be replaced on the left-bank, in the downstream part of the Blancpignon zone. In this way they will replace the Ducs d’Albe at the liquid sulphur post that are obsolete. This operation will comprise the first phase of the complete repair of the Blancpignon wharfs that will be undertaken from 2008 in order to satisfy both present and future traffic needs (wood, cement, animal feed).

In all, this operation represents an investment of 8.8M€ financed by the Aquitaine Regional Council, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Regional Council and the CCI Bayonne Pays Basque, the concessionaire.

Reinforcement of the North Embankment

The North Embankment (also called the Jean Lesbordes Embankment) is the Adour Estuary’s main protection and is therefore of prime importance for the port’s activity.
For several years, the embankment has been subject to sounding procedures, undertaken by the DDE (the Departmental Development Council), in order to know precisely its condition and to plan maintenance indispensable for all maritime structures. In fact the protective blocks and components of the embankment continually move due to the action of the sea. The presence of cavities has, moreover, been noted, thanks to very sophisticated measuring methods.
Following this discovery, two procedures have been decided upon :
- the prefabrication of 100 40-tonne blocks put aside to alleviate any possible serious problems that may suddenly arise.
- a cavity filling test site in the aim of determining the method of operating reinforcement works to be undertaken in the years to come.
The Aquitaine Regional Council and the CCI Bayonne Pays Basque will together invest 1.280 million euros in these two operations.
 

The first boat transporting eucalyptus wood from Pointe Noire in the Congo has docked in the St-Bernard zone (ship-owner LD Lines-Louis Dreyfus Lines).
This load of about 5,000 tonnes will be forwarded to the TEMBEC Group in St. Gaudens. It is likely that this traffic will be continued in 2005 with this new client for the Port of Bayonne : the TEMBEC Group has today 55 operational units worldwide (Canada, the United States, Chile and France); the group employs about 10,000 people.

As part of the expansion of the St-Bernard site and the diversification of port trade, the Port of Bayonne has attracted a new client requiring heavy package traffic.

CAMOM a 100% owned branch of the SAIPEM Group has chosen the Port of Bayonne as the assembly point for the components of an off-shore oil-drilling platform for Angola. Three boats will be arriving during the first quarter of 2005.
The elements will be assembled at the St-Bernard site and an on-site soldering unit will be installed.
The platform will be shipped by barge to Angola during the first quarter of 2005.

29/11/04

Interview with Mr. Roger Amestoy, marketing manager for the Iguaran Group at the Port of Bayonne

Question : How long has the Spanish Iguaran Group and the Port of Bayonne been working together?

Roger Amestoy : Mr. Juan Iguaran and the Port of Bayonne have been working together since 1992… In the competition between the ports of Pasejes and Bayonne, it was the latter that won. Mr. Iguaran had both opportunities but the Port of Bayonne had a much more flexible approach and offered the construction of his own installation. In this way he was able to start his activity in 1993 with the importation of small beans and beetroot pulp (that is, the residue remaining after the beetroot has been pressed which is used as animal feed).
On his arrival in Bayonne, Mr. Iguaran was therefore able to benefit from the presence of a maize dryer and a silo that he brought totally up to standard. And above all, he was able to build his own warehouse for the drying of maize. He was interested in being his own boss and not being affected by national holidays or strikes. His transporters could load and unload at any time, day or night at the Blancpignon site.

Question : The Iguaran Group has greatly developed over the last few years. What does it represent today ?

Roger Amestoy : Today the Iguaran Group joins two main companies at Tolosa in the South Pyrenees area - Diva Sat created by this Juan Iguaran’s father. At the time of its establishment, this company was specialised in the mixing of fertilisers. Today, it processes the mixture of raw materials transformed into animal feed. The second company, created in the 1990s, specialises in trade and transport.

Question : What is the importance of the Port of Bayonne to the Iguaran Group?

Roger Amestoy : This year the Group has bought between 180,000 and 200,000 tonnes of maize in the departments of the Landes and the Pyrenees-Atlantiques ; about 30,000 tonnes of small beans, a third of which through the Port of Bayonne and 5,000 tonnes of beetroot pulp, 50% of which also passed through Bayonne.
Moreover, this year, we have diversified a little : because of the drought and the reduced production of maize coupled with an increase in prices, we have had interesting opportunities in the importation of barley and wheat coming especially from England. In this trade alone, we will reach between 50,000 and 60,000 tonnes this year.

In all, we will receive 7 ships in 2004 at Bayonne – these ships are on average 3,000 tonnes. Then the imported products leave for the Iberian peninsula by truck. There are about 120 trucks per boat that leave for the Southern Basque Country and Santander. In fact, the distribution axis of the Iguaran Group stretches from Pamplona to Santander passing through Burgos.

Question : How would you describe the relation between the Iguaran Group, its 5-man team that you manage at the Port of Bayonne and the service providers at the Port?

Roger Amestoy : Our collaboration with the Port of Bayonne service providers is better than good. It is in fact a very professional partnership. We obviously have service contracts but we also have a sense of solidarity : we render mutual service especially with unloading companies. We envisage diversifying our activity in 2005 and with this in mind, we plan to develop our relationship with SOBEM and MATRAMA.

Question : What does this development entail?

Roger Amestoy : The Iguaran Group would like to dispose of an additional warehouse. Since 1st January 2004 we have given a priority to our sales for farmers (fertilisers and plant-care products especially). We distribute feedstuffs for pig, cattle and sheep farmers. In addition, we are the consignees of a brand of dog-food products with a very large client in Spain. This part of our activities has developed very quickly with outlets in the French market. We will therefore need another building with a surface area of 600m². Negotiations with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Bayonne Pays Basque are well under way. Competition with the Port of Pasejes is still there but we would prefer to continue our expansion at the Port of Bayonne.

Plans for a new warehouse built by the CCI at Saint-Bernard

Work on the new warehouse to be built by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bayonne Pays Basque on the St-Bernard site should begin in January 2005 with completion of the building in June 2005.

The construction consists of a general store providing 4,000m² of storage space for sundry merchandise which will be made available to all traffic at this port zone. It will also house offices, shower rooms, a refectory and a maintenance workshop.

Actually, a Port of Bayonne team (crane operators and CCI Bayonne Pays Basque staff) will make this their permanent base and so advantageously replace the bungalows currently present on this rapidly expanding port site.

Port traffic update : see the figures

Every day, Port of Bayonne movements (incoming and outgoing) are subject to regular information updates. Anticipated arrivals of ships are also accessible. Also a newsletter called “the Port on Line” is published each quarter discussing fundamental themes.

 
Port on line newsletter
This newsletter tackles current affairs linked to the port activity, fundamental questions on different aspects of development and looks at traffic in the last quarter.

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Download annual Port of Bayonne traffic report

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