Thursday, April 18, 2024 - 13:53 by ce-press
In 2022 a joint venture between Haropa Port and the conurbation of Le Havre Seine Metropole a new company has been established - GIP Le Havre Croisieres - to manage the cruise terminals and also the building of new facilities at the Port of Le Havre.
Steven Protois, general manager, and Valerie Conan, cruise director, were at Seatrade Global in Miami to showcase the Pointe de Floride development project.
The project includes three state-of-the-art terminals and onshore power supply (OPS) on three cruise-dedicated berths.
Demolition of the old hangars has already begun with the terminals being phased in at different times. The new buildings will be energy-positive due to a photovoltaic roof, energy-efficient operations and low-carbon construction processes.
Terminals 2 (6,000 passengers) and 3 (1,000 passengers) at Quai Pierre Callet (530m long, 12m depth) and Quai Joannes Couvert (500m long, 12m depth) will be joined and refurbished and ready for operation in September 2025.
Terminal 1 (3,500 passengers) at Quai Roger Meunier (470m long, 9m depth) will be delivered in January 2026.
During in season and one out of season. Pier availability is already guaranteed for confirmed calls.
Onshore power will be available on all three quays, providing 10mW at each. The port is deploying the same system as that in Kiel. The source of energy is 60% nuclear, 29% renewable and 6% gas.
New passenger boarding bridges are equipped with an intermediate podium which will reduce the incline caused by extreme tides in Le Havre.
The 9-hectare Pointe de Floride site overlooks the port of Le Havre and the coastline of the Unesco World Heritage city centre. Several landscaped walks and a rooftop terrace on Terminal 1 will enable passengers and residents to enjoy this unique panorama.
The total investment is €100 million which will be provided by Haropa and the GIP Le Havre Croisieres with contributions from the conurbation Le Havre Seine Metropole and the Normandy region.
Visitor attractions are constantly being upgraded also. For example, Un Ete au Havre transforms the city into an open-air contemporary art exhibition with artists invited to create works of art that are displayed in public spaces during the summer. In addition a new contemporary art gallery is being built and is due to open in late 2025.
This year the port is expecting 162 calls, of which 54 are turnarounds (the majority partial). Passengers will number 490,000. With the new development in place, the port will have a capacity of 13,500 passengers a day, including 6,000 turnarounds (or transit) in Terminal 2 and 3,500 in Terminal 1, with projections for 2030 being 600,000 passengers.
