Tracking Docket Here is the list of top sea ports of France from where containers are sent across the world. Among the most beautiful countries in Europe, France also has a highly developed economy. It follows the free-market principle. It is the 7th largest economy in the world and the 2nd largest in the continent, following Germany.
Some more facts and figures:
- 79% of the GDP comes from the services sector
- The 5th largest trading nation in the world
- Europe’s largest Foreign Direct Investment recipient in 2020
- World’s 15th most competitive nation
- World’s 19th country in terms of per capita GDP
- Paris is the 1st city in Europe in terms of the presence of Fortune Global 500 companies
With such extensive commercial activities going on around the year, the seaport system of France is also highly developed. The large numbers of ports in the country handle thousands of international & domestic waterways vessels every year, carrying various kinds of cargo. The entire business runs into billions of Euros.
List of Seaports of France:
Table of Contents
Port of Marseille
The Port of Marseille is France’s first port. It handles close to 80 million tonnes of cargo and accommodates almost 10,000 vessels every year. More than 3 million passengers also visited this sea port in passenger’s vessels in 2019. It also develops a large part of the portland to invite commercial activities. It handles various types of import and export cargo and focuses on environment-friendly & sustainable growth. the port also boasts of more than 3 million sq mt of warehouse space.
Port Authority: Marseille Fos Port Authority
Phone: 33 4 91394000
Fax: 33 4 91395700
Email: gpmm@marseille-port.fr
Port of Dunkerque
The Port of Dunkerque is located on the North Sea. It is less than 90 minutes of sailing time away from one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. This makes the port the most suitable one for extensive shipping and commercial activities. With a frontage of 17 km, the older part of the port has a draught of 14 meters and the newer part has a draught of 22 meters, accommodating bigger vessels. The Port of Dunkerque is only 40 km from the English port of Dover and also at the heart of the Brussels-London-Paris triangle. This makes it the ideal entry point for cargo to mainland Europe for further redistribution.
Port Authority: Port Autonome de Dunkerque
Phone: 00 33 3 28287591
Fax: 00 33 3 28287597
Email: njuhere@portdedunkerque.fr
Port of Brest
The history of the port goes back to more than 160 years. Today, the Port of Brest enjoys connections to over 350 major ports globally. Handling both import and export cargo, the port is used by most of the big shipping lines of the world. There are specific terminals handling agricultural commodities, multimodal cargo, hydrocarbon, etc. The port also offers ship repair facilities.
Port Authority: CCI de Brest
Phone: 33 2 98468746
Fax: 33 2 98432456
Email: service.commercial@port.cci-brest.fr
Port of Le Havre
The Port of Le Havre is counted among the 2nd largest commercial port in the France. With three sets of terminals, it is the largest container port in France. Liners of every size can be accommodated in this port. The deepwater port facilitates the movement of several thousands of large ocean liners traveling to and from all the world’s ports. Cargos of almost every type are handled in Le Havre that ranks as one of the base ports of Europe.
Port Authority: Port Authority of Le Havre
Phone: 33 2 32747400
Fax: 33 2 32747429
Email: internetpah@havre-port.fr
Port of Calais
The 4th largest port of France is also the largest when it comes to passenger traffic. For the town of Calais, this port acts as the economic lifeline. On average, a ship sails from here every 30 minutes. The port handles anything between 50-60 million tonnes of cargo every year through more than 5000 vessels. More than 12 million passengers have also passed through this port every year on an average.
Port Authority: Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Calais,
Phone: 03 21 460000
Fax: 03 21 460099
Email: ccic@calais.cci.fr
Port of Caen
A series of basins on the Canal de Caen make up this port. Today, it is a busy port of the country, handling over 3 million tonnes of goods every year. The port contains two RoRo gateways, 12 cranes, and 3 tugs. Besides commercial shipping, the port also handles a lot of pleasure cruises. More than 1 million passengers visit the port annually.
Port Authority: Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Caen
Phone: 02 31 356300
Fax: 02 31 356306
Email: info@caen.port.fr
Port of Lorient
The Port of Lorient is the 2nd largest port in the Brittany area. The port handles more than 3 million tonnes annually. The largest item that passes through the port is bulk foodgrain. Close to 800,000 tonnes passed through the port in 2018. Hydrocarbon and construction materials are also conspicuous by their significant presence here. Several thousand passengers also pass through the port on account of non-commercial cruises. Shipbuilding and ship repair are also important activities in this port.
Port Authority: Morbihan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIM)
Phone: 33 0 2 97 87 76 00
Fax: 33 0 2 97 37 22 19
Email: lorient.port.commerce@morbihan.cci.fr
Port of Cherbourg
The Port of Cherbourg has a surface area of 1,500 hectares. This makes it the 2nd largest artificial harbor in the world. The port handles substantial commercial traffic all the year-round, consisting of multiple types of cargo.
Port Authority: Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Cherbourg-Cotentin
Phone: 33 2 33233225
Fax: 33 23 3233236
Email: port@cherbourg-cotentin.cci.fr
Port of La Pallice
La Pallice is the only Atlantic deepwater port of France. It primarily handles timber, sand & concrete, and paper products. It also has oil unloading facilities. Other commodities handled include cereals, solid agricultural bulk, general merchandise, and metal products.
Port Authority: Port Autonome de La Rochelle
Phone: 33 5 46005360
Fax: 33 5 46431254
Email: lapallice@larochelle.port.fr
Port of Gennevilliers
This port is the largest French river port. It is a key terminal to transport semi-finished non-perishable freight and also for heavy materials. Primarily, this port is used to transport heavy & low-value bulk items like cement, sand & gravel, packaging materials, and also dangerous chemicals.
Port Authority: Port Autonome de Paris
Phone: 01 40 582999
Fax: 01 45 780857
Email: dcom@paris-ports.fr
The Top 10 Seaports of France
| Sl. No. | Seaport Detail | Website |
| 1 | Port of Marseille Address: 23 place de la Joliette, BP 81965, Marseille, Cedex 2 13226, France | www.marseille-port.fr |
| 2 | Port of Dunkerque Address: BP 6534, Terre-Plein Guillain, Dunkerque, Cedex 1 59386, France | www.portdedunkerque.fr |
| 3 | Port of Brest Address: Avenue de KIEL, Brest 29200, France, | www.brest.port.fr |
| 4 | Port of Le Havre Address: Terre-Plein de la Barre, B.P. 1413, Le Havre, Cedex 76067, France | www.havre-port.net |
| 5 | Port of Calais Address: 24, Bd. Des Allies – BP199, Calais 62104, France | www.calais-port.com |
| 6 | Port of Caen Address: Direction des Equipements Portuaires, Bassin d’Herouville, Herouville-Saint-Clair 14200, France | www.caen.port.fr |
| 7 | Port of Lorient Address: 3, boulevard de la Rade, Lorient 56100, France | www.lorient.port.fr |
| 8 | Port of Cherbourg Address: Boulevard Felix Amiot – BP 839, Cherbourg-Octeville Cedex 50108, France | www.port-cherbourg.com |
| 9 | Port of La Pallice Address: BP 2057, Chaussee de Ceinture Nord, La Rochelle 17010, France | www.larochelle.port.fr |
| 10 | Port of Gennevilliers Address: 2, quai de Grenelle, Paris, Cedex 15 75732, France | www.paris-ports.fr |
Other Sea Ports:
