The shipping platform

Location: Sete is situated on the S coast of France in N coastline of Gulf of Lyon, approx. 74 n.m. west of Marseilles. General overview: Sete is a deep water harbour, well protected from the swell by an E/W orientated breakwater, 2.4km in length, with the entrance in the E sector. It is also a port of refuge. The harbour is linked to the hinterland by a motorway, railways and a waterway. Facilities exist for car ferries (2 berths), Ro-Ro ships (7 berths), containerships (1 berth), ore carriers (3 berths), bulk carriers (2 berths), tankers (2 berths), chemical tankers (2 berths), molasses tankers (2 berths), wine tankers (6 berths), livestock carriers (1 berth), forest product carriers (2 berths) and general cargo ships (8 berths). The Port of Sete’s Container Terminal, located on the Colbert Basin East Dock, includes two berths with alongside depth of 11 meters. The terminal covers four hectares and contains refrigeration points for chilled cargoes. Renovated since 2005, the terminal covers 53 thousand square meters. The Bulk Terminal at the Port of Sete is located on Dock 2 and is designed for continuous handling of bulk goods. Offering access to Panamax vessels, goods are stored in private sheds with capacity for 65 thousand tons. A special terminal offers capacity for 300 thousand tons for storage of ores and coal. The terminal offers rail links inside the terminal that can accommodate full trains and access to inland waterways. The dock is 342 meters long with alongside depth of 11 meters The Port of Sete’s Forest Products Terminal receives tropical timber, wood pulp, and paper from throughout the world. The Colbert Basin terminal specializes in wood pulp and paper, offering 16 thousand square meters of sheds along the dock for storage. The dock is 240 meters long with alongside depth of 11.7 meters. The terminal site is France’s Mediterranean international trade center for tropical timber, supported by several firms specializing in forest products, sawmills, and research. The wood storage yard covers 40 thousand square meters. The Cereals Terminal at the Port of Sete offers access by rail, road, and inland waterway and capacity for storing 22 thousand tons at the “Silos of the Mediterranean.” The berth is 170 meters long with alongside depth of 10.4 meters. The Port of Sete also includes a cattle transit area that handles cattle exports from the European Union to ports across the Mediterranean. The transit area can handle 1000 cattle and has rail and road access. The Port of Sete’s Bulk Liquids Facilities include three components. Wine Sete is an important international trade center with specialized facilities that link ships to storage tanks in the port. The facility for petroleum products offers capacity to store 950 thousand cubic meters. The sea-line dock can accommodate vessels of over 250 meters and 12.5 meters draft. The third component is for a variety of industrial and agricultural products that are served by specialist firms with their own facilities. The Port of Sete’s Passenger Terminal serves cruise liners and regular ferry traffic to Morocco and Algeria. The Osetti Harbor Station offers year-round service to Tangiers and Oran, Bejaia, and Skikda in Algeria. Cruise lines call at the Quai d’Honneur and at the Moroc Harbor Station. Dozens of cruises stop in the Port of Sete each year. The Club des Croisieres works with shipping companies and tour operators to offer complete services for passengers. The Orsetti Harbor Station has one quay with a roll-on/roll-off ramp with alongside depth of 8.2 meters, and it has a reception hall of 800 square meters. The Maroc Harbor Station and “Quai d’Honneur” has two berths and one roll-on/roll-off berth with alongside depth of 7.6 meters and a reception hall of 350 square meters. Traffic figures: Approx total cargo, 3,800,000t, 45,000TEU and 280,000 passengers handled annually. Load line zone: Summer Zone for ships over 100m in length and Winter Seasonal Area for ships of 100m or less in length, Winter Dec 16 to Mar 15, Summer Mar 16 to Dec 15. Max size: LOA 259m, draught 13.5m, Panamax. Largest vessel handled: "Bulk Trader", 64,395DWT, bulk carrier, draught 13.5m.