1. Seine-Nord Europe Canal
Central link of the European
Seine-Scheldt Waterway
General presentation
Maillon central

2. Mr Nicolas BOUR,
Project Manager
Mission Seine-Nord Europe - VNF

3. Summary
Issues of Seine-Scheldt inland waterway
Project description
Development schedule

4. Summary
Issues of Seine-Scheldt inland waterway
Project description
Development schedule

5. A European network km
of which km at high capacity (>1 000 tonnes)
serving the principal European conurbations
465 MT of freight transported
128 billion tonne-km in 2005
7.2% modal share (UE15)
Netherlands: 47.3 %
Germany: 13.2 %
Belgium: 14.7 %
Austria: 4.5%
France: 2.9 % (13% on Seine corridor, 30% on Rhine corridor)

6. Growth of inland water transport in Europe
1975: 87 billion T-km : 112 billion T-km
1985: 90 billion T-km : 128 billion T-km
Total waterborne traffic in billion tonne-km

7. – a small proportion of high-capacity waterways
The French network:
– a small proportion of high-capacity waterways
– lack of interconnection between the high-capacity river navigations
High-capacity
waterway
Limited-capacity
waterway

8. Canal Seine-Nord Europe Central link of the European Seine-Scheldt Waterway
Eliminate a major bottleneck on the European high-capacity waterway network
Improve competitiveness of industry
through the reliability and the reduced logistics costs of inland water transport
by offering common access in Europe to 6 seaports of the northern range (60% of Europe’s exports/imports)
Contribute to regional development in France and Europe, reinforcing the capacity of exchange in the corridor Le Havre-Paris-Amsterdam/Dunkirk

9. an investment at European level
Interconnection with km of European high-capacity waterways to the Black Sea
Restructuring logistics and development of intermodality over the North-Western Europe
Optimisation of seaport services over the Northern range: increase in port value by improved access to hinterland
Reduction of transport congestion (25% of the objectives of Marco-Polo)
Contribution to growth of European Union

10. Summary
Issues of Seine-Scheldt inland waterway
Project description
Implementation schedule

11. Project submitted to public enquiry (January 07 to March 07)
A canal 106 km long (class Vb) from Compiègne to Aubencheul-au-Bac comprising:
8 pounds connected by 7 locks (single chamber) with water-saving basins
2 water storage reservoirs
3 aqueducts
4 multimodal platforms and 7 loading/unloading quays
5 boat harbours + moorings for passenger vessels

12. Port and logistics zones along the canal
360 ha of industrial port and logistics zones
Enhancing the agricultural and industrial potential of the regions
Locating logistics distribution centres
Contributing to volume concentration
Developing intermodality - water-rail-road

13. Optimised water management
Carefully controlled water supply
maximum watertightness of the canal and recycling of lockages
constitution of reserves (storage reservoirs)
Project contributes to attenuating floods of the Oise
reduction in floods between Compiègne and Noyon
capacity to transfer floods of the Somme to the Oise basin
Value added by water transfer
- transfer of m3/s from the Oise to guarantee water supply to the Lille conurbation (outside low-flow periods on the Oise)

14. 1.2 forecasted traffic in the north-south corridor
logistic scenario (PPP)
base scenario (PPP)
without the project
Waterborne traffic in million tonnes
2020
2050
Base scenario
13,3
20,0
Logistic scenario
13,8 – 14,9
25,8 – 27,7

15. Forecast traffic in Europe and France
Significant growth of waterborne traffic by 2020
Europe between +6 and +7 billion tonne-km
France between +4.3 and +4.7 billion tonne-km
Good prospects for continued long-term growth (2050)
Europe +8.4 to billion tonne-km
France +5.8 to billion tonne-km
Two thirds of the additional waterborne traffic at the European level by modal shift from road
500 000 fewer HGV movements in 2020 and 1.2 to 2 million fewer by 2050
Les diféfrents scénario
- l’augmentation du trafic fluvial dont en France

16. a socio-economically profitable project
Cost 3.17 billion € (PPP)
Earthworks
Locks and other hydraulic structures
Bridges and other engineering structures
Port platforms
Environmental measures
Socio-economic benefit : €8 billion (evaluated over 50-year period – 4 % actualisation rate)
Socio-economic internal rate of return (IRR) of 6.2 and 8%(in France, an investment is considered profitable if the IRR is greater than 4%)

17. Growth based on the key advantages of IWT, factor of competitiveness for industry
Transport costs reduced by concentration of volume
Reliability of delivery times
Safety
Capacity to serve clients in the heart of large conurbations
Image (environment-friendly transport)

18. Nature of goods transported on SNE Chemical products, fertilisers, 11%
Projection in 2020 (tonne-km) - central scenario
Containers, heavy loads, vehicles, 17%
Cereals, 30%
Chemical products, fertilisers, 11%
Energy products, 11%
Construction materials, 20%
Metallurgical products, 11%

19. Summary
Issues of Seine-Scheldt inland waterway
Project description
Development schedule

20. Development schedule
Public enquiry Jan - March  Detailed studies and PPP contractual procedures Competitive dialogue  Soil surveys – archeological surveys  Land acquisition  Start of works PPP  Opening of the canal PPP 2014